Delicate
by chicagochi4183
Summary: Astoria Greengrass has spent her entire life feeling inferior to her vivacious cousin Daphne. Draco needs to get out of a slump. So, in a way, they're perfect for each other.
1. Introduction

**World's Longest Author's Note: **

Good news.

I have finally gotten this to a place where I am going to update. I started this story I think when I was 14 or 15, and now I'm on my way to college. As you can imagine, I have grown as a writer and a person and thus so have my characters. I'm now in a better frame of mind to maturely follow a story from start to finish. So, I am going to begin uploading again.

I currently have 7 finished chapters, which does not sound like a lot until you realize that my "Chapter Four" in my old posting has ended up in the middle of Chapter Three. And, the reason I am not finished through Chapter 12 is because it is hard for me to write about a place I've never been to (you'll learn what that's about soon) and because it's been hard for me to write a year's worth of letters (intrigued yet?).

That being said, I have already written them together, I am just playing catch up at this point to fill in the details. I hope those of you who've added me to alert are still even into reading this. I'm going to post the first four revised chapters, chapters which actually do feature things you've never read, today. After that, I am making a commitment to posting at the _very least _every other Saturday, and hopefully more frequently. So, if I haven't posted Chapter 5 by the 30th, feel free to mow me over.

Now, here it is

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Introduction

Astoria Greengrass spent her entire life being delicate. Her cousin Daphne was the wild one, hair like fire, eyes like the sky at midnight, and she held herself with the air of one who was going to be a millionaire one day. Daphne was any man's wet dream, untamable enough to be worth the challenge, gentle enough to possess that unmistakable womanly quality, slender enough to seem fragile, but spirited enough to seem fun. Her beauty was boundless, her grace effortless, and everyone saw her as the perfect everything.

You might wonder why Astoria cared so much about Daphne, but the truth is, it was hard not to. Everyone in her family compared them, because they were the closest in age. But it was also more than that. Astoria was born small, very petite, with curly platinum hair, and wide misty grey eyes that changed with her clothing. Daphne was born large but slim, with stick straight red hair and those disturbingly beautiful eyes. Astoria always stayed small. Around her family she always faded into the background, except when relatives questioned why she wasn't more like her cousin. Everyone knew Daphne, she was almost everyone's favorite, and at every family event at least 6 people chose to stand in awe of her. She got to go to Hogwarts, while Astoria was sent to Beauxbatons to learn to be ladylike.

Not to say that Astoria was not beautiful. She was a Greengrass, which comes with flawless skin, perfectly tamable hair, natural grace and charm, a beautiful figure, and that heart melting smile. At Beauxbatons she was almost untouchable, everyone knew and loved her. It would have been perfectly alright except that the Greengrasses don't live in France. And once Astoria was finished at Beauxbatons, as a respectable pureblood the next step was to get married to a respectable pureblood man.

Easier said than done.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter 1

Astoria woke up with a jolt, looking around her in a panic. In France, she'd been almost completely isolated from the Voldemort conflict in Britain, but now that she was home she was afraid that anti-purebloods would attack her. Not that anyone could mistake her for Daphne, as her hair seemed to grow blonder by the day. In winter it'd been a pleasant shade of strawberry blonde, but now it was back to platinum, and the least of her worries.

Casting a quick protection spell, she decided there was no point in trying to go back to sleep, and she instead went to her closet to pick out clothes.

"Damn it!" she muttered to herself as she surveyed her closet. In an effort to seem very pro-muggle, she'd donated several of her old robes and cloaks to the families who were displaced by the war. She then remembered her plans to go shopping that day, and cursed herself inwardly for not choosing an outfit the night before.

Sighing, she pulled out a gray dress she'd gotten from a Great Aunt. A few helpful charms later she had a day dress worthy of a goddess. That was the one thing she had that Daphne lacked, a keen eye, not just for fashion, but for anything. That was part of the reason she'd decided to become a Healer. Quietly, she descended into the kitchen. The aforementioned Great Aunt could drop by any moment as she was prone to do, and she didn't want to run into her Great Aunt and have her realize that Astoria had 'ruined' the dress.

As soon as she made it into the kitchen she became a Greengrass, straight back, shoulders relaxed, smile on her face.

"Good morning" she sighed, smiling at her mother and father before sliding into a seat. She wasn't actually surprised when nobody responded; she was used to it from her parents. Only three people in Astoria's extended family really noticed her, her brother Apollo her Aunt Wilhelmina, and Daphne herself. Astoria mutely finished her breakfast, then stood and faced her mother.

"I'm going shopping in Diagon Alley mother" she said, with the air of someone who was used to getting her own way. She walked quietly out of her manor, and as soon as she was out of the boundaries of the house, apparated almost at once, and appeared in the middle of the crowded streets. Astoria had only once before been to Diagon Alley, and then it was a dark place, as people were so miserable about the war. Now it was so lively she hardly recognized it.

Quickly and quietly she walked down the streets, for once trying to blend in. Her success was granted with shoves, as her frail body was tossed in the eager crowd, until she noticed an opening in an area that, for some reason, the crowd seemed to be avoiding. It was even on the side of the road of the dress shop she'd meant to check first.

Quickly she shuffled to that open side of the road, only to run into the person that everyone else had been avoiding.

The first things Astoria noticed were the eyes. Of course she knew little about Slytherin, as she'd gotten her education in France, but she imagined his fondness for silver was personified in eyes that color. The stranger's eyes seemed to swirl between regular gray and misty and mystifying silver.

"Are you alright?" the voice, deep and almost melancholy, asked her quickly, breaking the spell. She realized the stranger had caught her, and as she stepped back, she began to notice other features. Chiseled face, pointed chin, pale skin, muscular body, and eyes that seemed to have seen too much, all unfamiliar to her.

"Oui, er, yes" again, Astoria was forced to curse herself, as speaking in French was a habit she'd developed. While at home it was easy to adopt the lilting British accent of her parents, in public the French won.

Astoria stepped away from the stranger, whose eyes seemed to; if possible, get even sadder before fading into a practiced hardness. Everyone was giving him wide berth, and Astoria quickly realized that he or his parents had probably been on the wrong side of the war. She sighed, being a pureblood no longer held the same status it always had. Still, she thought, it'd only be a matter of time. Many were still wealthy, and the upper class was so for a reason.

"Astoria, pleased to make your acquaintance."Pitying him, she held out one paler and considerably more slender hand. The stranger jerked his eyes back to her so fast she couldn't help but wonder if he had whiplash.

"Draco, pleasure is all mine." Astoria gave him a small smile then, since he seemed lonely, asked

"Would you mind accompanying me? You can probably tell from the accent, but I'm not really accustomed to Britain. I mean, my family lives here but I did my shopping in France, because of Beauxbatons."

He looked over his shoulder as if checking for something, then, like a true gentleman, offered her his elbow. She smiled and took it, looping her arm through his with the practiced grace of an aristocrat. Normally she would never speak with strangers, but he seemed nice, and though she didn't recognize the name Draco, she figured he must know some respectable purebloods.

Astoria wished she could do what she wanted, and take control like she knew Daphne would have done. She could even almost picture herself doing it:

"Well, I have to go clothes shopping, you might not have heard but I recently decided to be diplomatic and donate almost my entire wardrobe, and now it needs replacing. And, if you had errands to run we could do those along the way, it honestly looks like you need someone picking you out some new clothes as well"

But instead she half mumbled "err, I need to do some shopping, for… clothes, and you probably have to go shopping too, so…"

To her surprise, the corner of his mouth twitched up, like he was going to smile but thought better of it. She blushed a light pink, then moved quickly so as not to be dragged as he began walking.

She hated that the crowd gave him such wide berth, but it was forgotten as she entered the store named Twillfitt and Tatting's. A thin black witch with her hair piled on her head greeted them.

"Who's getting what?" she asked, as if she couldn't care less who they were. Astoria found the attitude refreshing, but still only managed to mumble "I'm replacing my wardrobe. I'll need plenty of new robes, some light summer dresses, and a few suitable gowns."

Draco seemed amused, which irked Astoria for reasons she couldn't understand. The witch simply motioned for her to climb onto the stool, which she did quickly.

"What cuts were you looking for, in what fabrics? I'm sure you weren't looking for school robes, you seem a little old."

"First year out. I'll take hmm, what colors do you have in silk?" Astoria replied easily.

"Beauxbatons spoils, you realize English weather is hardly appropriate for silk?" Astoria tried not to seem embarrassed, and luckily the stranger came to her aid.

"Well, she'll also be taking cloaks, probably fox fur, or swan."She sent a silent thank you to her friendly stranger, before feeling the witch fit her.

"Well alright, it's your funeral miss. We have in stock blues, silvers, golds, reds, purples, bronzes, and greens but we can also"

"May I see what you have in blues and greens…and silvers and purples?" Astoria asked, trying to sound in control. Immediately the colors and fabrics floated towards her, as the woman proceeded with taking her measurements. She felt her cheeks redden when the woman scoffed as she had to get tighter and tighter around Astoria's waist.

Astoria found several shades of blue that she liked, dismissed the rest, and then moved on to the silvers, purples, and finally the greens. Then she began organizing them, in her mind, trying to see what style robes would fit.

"I'll take traditional styles in all of the silver and purple pieces, why not line the silver with a thin layer of matching cotton, since I'll probably wear those most and that's probably most practical."

She stopped to make sure the quick quotes quill that was taking her order was caught up, before continuing.

"How about lining this green with this silver for a turned out hem, and this blue with the same silver in the same style? I'd like this blue actually in a more translucent fabric, over this green, see how that'd be coupled? Then" Gently so as not to disturb her measurements, she turned to see her companion.

"You wouldn't, by any chance, know about dress cuts and styles?"He did the same twitch as before, and Astoria vaguely wondered why he felt the need to suppress a smile so strongly. He nodded mutely, and came up behind her.

"How about…" as he took over, Astoria studied his face. There were definite traces of aristocracy in his structure, especially in the cut of his face and the high but still manly cheekbones.

"Will that do?" Astoria was jerked back into reality, but fought not to let it show, by pretending to be reviewing his choices. Everything he ordered sounded good, so she Okayed it all, then turned to the woman, who seemed to be almost finished measuring her.

"What do you have in velvet, silver and black?" Tired of making decisions, Astoria simply picked out her two favorite of each and said,

"I'll have a cloak of each of these colors cut in velvet. How about drawstring, hooded with a hood of the same color, lined in white fox for the black ones, and black bear for the silver. But, please only use fur acquired humanely, I'd hate to think I'm killing something like a muggle just for new clothes."

By then she was done being measured, so Astoria, with aid from the stranger, stepped down. After she'd paid and given her delivery address, Astoria and the stranger stepped back into the streets.

"Where to next?" the stranger asked, surprising Astoria, who was sure he'd much rather be rid of her. There was an almost longing in his voice, and Astoria couldn't help but wonder exactly how starved for companionship he was if he was choosing her.

"Well, I thought I'd visit the apothecary, but I'm not sure" before she could finish, he'd looped his arm through hers, and gently but firmly led her down the road, to where an apothecary stood.

"Best in all of London" the stranger explained, his face still banking on expressionless. There was a hint of eagerness so suppressed that Astoria had to believe she'd imagined it. Still, it was truly a spectacular apothecary, as she came to find out, with stocks of even the strangest ingredients.

"I've never gone into a shop that had these herbs" Astoria said, as she exited, the stranger carrying her bags. He'd insisted, another clue for her as to his identity.

"I guess I've kept you from your business for long enough." Astoria gave a half smile, and then turned serious.

"Any errands at all I could help with?" The man seemed to be about to say something, then he seemed to catch sight of something and think better of it. Instead, he carefully handed her the shopping.

"No, I think I've taken enough of your time. Perhaps I'll meet you again under better terms soon Astoria. Enjoy the rest of your evening, and you have impeccable taste in clothes" he said, before disappearing with a pop.

Astoria turned around and was almost immediately swallowed into the crowd again, until she reached another hole in the crowd. She almost ran into another stranger, this one with black hair and vivid emerald eyes, walking with a girl with fiery red hair who was still in school, her only clue the man couldn't be that old.

"Excuse me but were you just with" whatever the man was about to say was cut off by the girl, who cut over

"Ignore him, he's beginning to get paranoid. Enjoy your day." Tired, Astoria grabbed her bags and popped home. It was only when she'd sunk into her bed that she realized she'd forgotten to buy an owl. She figured she'd just have to use her mother's.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria was woken the next day by a sharp slap on her butt, and for a moment she forgot where she was. Then, seeing the grinning face of none other than Daphne herself, Astoria rolled out of bed with a groan.

"Good morning" Daphne said, with a smile on her face. Catching sight of herself in the mirror, Astoria realized her face had broken out in freckles, probably due to the sun she'd gotten the day before.

"Why are you here Daphne?" of course Astoria wasn't really bothered by Daphne's presence as much as she was by being woken early, but she was still bothered.

Daphne shrugged, used to Astoria's bad mood in the mornings.

"Mama and Father sent me up here to wake you up, and tell you to 'look presentable'. You know how they are; they probably want to dissuade you from becoming a healer."

Astoria rolled her eyes. She knew that her parents were concerned that by seeking a career she was lowering her chances, but she knew that as long as Daphne remained available, she wasn't getting many offers.

Quickly, she slipped into a dress that hung in the depths of her closet, before exiting her room and heading towards the stairs.

"I need to move out." She said to Daphne, before leaning onto the heavy door to the kitchen. To her shock, her entire family stood in the kitchen, almost identical smug smiles on their faces.

"Congratulations Ladies" they said, and immediately Astoria knew what was going on.

"It's that day already?" she asked her equally shocked cousin, receiving a nod in return.

"I'd hoped they'd forgotten" Daphne said in response. The two girls then put on their best smiles, and walked forward to greet their relatives.

"I can't believe it's finally our season" Astoria said with false excitement.

"I've been waiting for this my entire life." She said, because she had to.

For once, all eyes were on her too, as relatives began to judge her appearance.

"You know who Daphne would look nice with," she heard her Aunt Aphrodite whisper to someone "the Zabini boy, the height thing would be lovely."

"Absolutely" that was her aunt, who cooed at the thought of being tied in some way to the grand fortune(s) of Zabini's mother.

"Well, Daphne's ball is Saturday after this, but then Astoria's can't be the following, but if we wait too long she'll fade away." Rolling her eyes at the mother's 'dilemma', she heard the one thing that made her blood run cold.

"How about a joint ball?" Astoria turned to glare at her 14 year old cousin Genevieve. The girl's black hair was cut short, and her makeup was cheeky that day. Her mother, ever proud Anodyne, wouldn't ever correct her. She was the Daphne of her age group, so her behavior was tolerated and she was doted upon. Daphne, by contrast, lit up. She went and kissed Genevieve on both cheeks, causing the adults to smile proudly.

"That's brilliant! Oh, we'll be able to show the world the best the Greengrasses have to offer. We'll overwhelm them with beauty, right Astoria?" She had no choice but to agree.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Later that day, Astoria was regretting her choice.

"And then of course, since you have no suitable clothing we'll have to see what we can find for you last minute and" Astoria's mother's rant was interrupted by what looked like a flock of owls, each bearing a large parcel.

As soon as Astoria opened it, she knew she'd have to wear the dress. The dress was a simple forest green, with intricate silver embroidery on it. Her mother was speechless, then suddenly a flurry of motion and excitement.

"Astoria why didn't you tell me you'd had such an amazing gown commissioned? It's absolutely perfect darling, you will look stunning. Maybe for once Helena will stop gloating about Daphne."

Astoria had never once heard her mother speak badly about her stately sister-in-law. In fact, Astoria had sincerely suspected that her mother preferred Daphne over herself. It gave her hope after all.


	3. Chapter Two

Astoria discovered two things quickly. One, that her mother's idea of preparing her was to torture her into so many daily beauty treatments she felt like killing someone, and two, that two weeks passed quicker than she'd expected. Quite suddenly, it was Saturday.

"Astoria!" Astoria woke to the one voice she was not expecting, that of her brother Apollo. Immediately she tumbled out of bed, almost threatening to knock lose one of the curlers that had been sitting in her hair since Thursday night, placed meticulously by hand by the poor girl her mother had hired.

"Apollo!" she screamed back, throwing open her door. Never mind that she was still in a nightgown, she hadn't seen her brother in a year. She raced down the hall, the curls on her head threatening to unravel more and more by the second. Finally she reached the source of his voice, only to find the familiar rascal sitting in his old chair.

Of course, when he stood he grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her into the air, and almost giving her hair the final push. Luckily, the curlers, either by magic or sheer power, managed to maintain their grip on her hair.

"Apollo!" her mother's voice held less pleasant shock and more surprised contempt. "You're going to ruin Astoria's ball for her if you don't cease immediately!" So Astoria was put down, and subjected to her last rounds of beautifying. The ball was to begin at 7:00, and from 5:00 everything possible was done to her until finally at 7:00 on the dot, she was laced into the dress.

It looked every bit as beautiful as she'd imagined. She could barely recognize the face that grinned up at her from the mirror. Of course she'd known she was a beauty. Every Greengrass was beautiful by far. But for once she felt like what everyone saw when they saw Daphne. For once, it was her night.

She was just a bit crushed when she saw Daphne. Of course, her cousin was an effortless stunning. The near-indigo shade of her dress somehow made her eyes pop even more against the red of her hair. Unlike Astoria's perfectly controlled locks, Daphne's hair held an almost wild feel, as if she'd simply rolled out of bed looking fabulous. Who was Astoria to question that beauty?

"Daphne!" she shrieked, air hugging her cousin. From then, until the night was over, she'd be playing the role of the perfect daughter, and the perfect pureblood wife. It was a role she dreaded, and one that Daphne, with her glib but airheaded nature, practically lived. But she consoled herself with the fact that no matter what she wasn't ready to become what her Aunt Demeter was, a spinster.

"Astoria" the emotion on her cousin's face was real excitement, and Astoria didn't doubt that her cousin had dreamt of this night. The two looped arms and, still giggling with nerves, approached the doors. It was 7:30 on the dot, it was time.

"Presenting to you for the very first time, for your consideration, the Misses Astoria and Daphne Greengrass."

Astoria let Daphne pull her through the doors and into a ballroom she rarely visited, despite the fact that it was inside her own home. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes to what awaited her.

To her surprise, the first thing she noticed was the look of pure shock on the face of her relatives as they zeroed in on her face. Helena's smug smile was wiped off her face as she was forced to admit, albeit internally, that Astoria looked very fetching.

And for the first time since she left Beauxbatons, Astoria felt that smirk of success, one that many called a Greengrass trademark, slide onto her face. It was only as she and Daphne descended that she allowed herself to see the herd, and boy was it a herd. It seemed everyone in Britain had turned up for a look at the famed Greengrasses, as the invitation had certainly built them up.

The two split in different directions, and Astoria was shocked when a boy came to her side, even more shocked when others looked disappointed. In Britain, she always came second best to Daphne.

"Good evening Miss Greengrass" the man said, smiling a charming smile. "Allow me to introduce my parents, as well as myself." Astoria was gently and gracefully led towards a group of proud looking people.

"I'm Cyprus Rosier, and these are my parents, my mother, Anastasia, and my father Cirrus." He smiled his charming smile, and Astoria, attempting not to feel awkward, dipped into a graceful curtsey, causing Cirrus's eyes to light up.

"You are such a beauty miss Astoria" he said, once she'd stood again. She smiled at the compliment, and thanked him. Anastasia simply stared at Astoria. Her hair was a dull brown, and her nose was large and clearly Greek, marring what would otherwise have been a stunning face.

"Well, let us not keep you, you have plenty of guests to greet darling" was all that the woman said, and then she turned, leading her husband away with her, eyes already searching out Daphne.

Astoria was seized by panic. Was it possible that, even after all she had done, she still couldn't measure up to Daphne? That people were rushing to get her meeting over with, so that they could go court the true beauty?

It took her some time to realize that Cyprus was still holding her, arm around her waist. "Don't mind mother, she can't help herself. Promise to save me a dance?"

She nodded, feeling the light blush that colored her cheeks. He smiled, and bowed away gracefully, and immediately Astoria was snatched up by another. He wasn't as tall or dashing as Cyprus, but what he lacked in looks, his entire family made up for in charisma.

Then was Maggiore, who seemed arrogant enough for both girls. He led her around with the practiced air of someone used to 'escorting' pretty girls, and his range of compliments all detailed how charming they'd look together. His family was no better, as his mother and all three of his sisters cooed about what a darling pair they'd make, while his father eyed her up and down, nodded in a manner he probably thought was discreet, and returned to talking to an uncle that had obviously been tricked into attending.

Although she remained polite and charming, Astoria was relieved to get away from him, although she did promise him a dance. The next few were very forgettable, and soon Astoria figured she'd met half the men in the room.

It was then that she ran into a very annoyed looking Daphne. The girl turned to glare, before realizing it was her cousin. Sighing with relief, she quickly led Astoria into a secluded area.

"Are all pureblood men boring, overly charming, or just plain rude?" Astoria stifled a giggle, then said

"Boring and overly charming sure, but rude I can't imagine."

"Yes well, his mother seemed far more interested in me than he did, don't be insulted if her son doesn't give you the time of day. And he seemed so cold!"

"Maybe I should get him over with then." Astoria sighed, already dreading the encounter. Daphne shrugged.

"Oh, you can gladly have him. Don't press your luck though. He and his mother didn't even see our entrance. His father was busy, and basically I get the air that he wouldn't have come at all if his mother hadn't dragged him here. It sounded like he was in the middle of complaining when I arrived to greet them, and his mother did all the talking. Explained why they were late, told me I looked beautiful, and wished me luck in my future. I honestly believe they were about to leave, then I was like 'you haven't even met cousin, I know she'd be upset if she didn't get to meet every single guest' even though, I know it's more like your mother would kill you." Daphne finished her by flipping a lock of her hair over her shoulder, causing a young boy, no older than 14, to almost run headfirst into a levitating tray of appetizers.

Astoria looked where Daphne was pointing, and sure enough there was a fair blonde woman looking around with a determined eye.

Astoria made her way over, and allowed herself to be embraced by the woman. "Good evening darling, I must say you look stunning."

Astoria smiled and curtseyed. It was one thing to hear how she looked from a man who was still in his physical youth, and another entirely to hear it from a woman who'd had time to see countless beauties.

"I'm Astoria Greengrass, the pleasure is all mine." The whole while they were walking, until the two approached a man who was staring pointedly in another direction. Astoria stifled a giggle. She knew Daphne would have found it insulting, but he honestly reminded Astoria of a sulking child.

"Darling, meet the other Miss Greengrass. Astoria I'm Narcissa Malfoy, and this is my son Draco" at the name Astoria's eyes narrowed, and she looked up into the eyes of the stranger from Diagon Alley.

"Charmed, but Miss Greengrass, I do believe we've met before?" Draco's face was as she remembered it, not as cold as ever dramatic Daphne would have perceived, but lacking the warmth and gaiety of the others. She knew it was a very strange reaction, but it intrigued her. She felt foolish for not even considering that he might have been an eligible bachelor before.

"I do believe we have. In fact, I believe it was you who chose this style of gown, for which I am ever in your debt. It is truly a masterpiece."

"Only because of the wearer." he said, and although it was the standard response, Astoria couldn't help but hope he truly meant it.

"Although, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I could swear your eyes were much more gray than green when I met you before."

"The eyes? They seem to change to what I'm wearing; it's not something I can control really."

"Interesting" was all he said, and then he turned to his mother, whose eyebrows were raised in shock, perhaps at his friendly behavior.

"Mother, I believe you were right, we should stay through the end. It'd be dishonorable to leave before dinner at the very least. Miss Astoria, you will save me a dance, won't you?"

Astoria found herself promising she would before she even thought about it. And she was pleasantly surprised to find that this time, she was actually looking forward to it. By the time the greeting period was over, and yes she had gotten to every eligible man in the room, she was more than ready for dinner.

She sat at the head table next to a mollified looking Daphne. The two were elevated above the entire room just enough that nobody could claim to be unable to see them, but not too much as to allude to them having a complex.

During a very long meal that Astoria could barely eat, she tried to calculate how many had actually specifically asked her for a dance. It was customary for them to seek her out, but she would feel bad if someone who had legitimately asked her for a dance didn't get one, even if they were just being polite.

She needn't have worried. Astoria was practically passed down a line of dancers. As each song struck up, it seemed a new gentleman was just there to take her hand and escort her through it, as well as some conversation. She spoke of everything from her wand to her lineage, but many of the more boring men asked about her accent. These men tended to then list many facts about France, most of which she already knew, or speak French, often badly.

She almost didn't realize she'd been passed off to her stranger, until he looked her in the eyes.

"What was it like at Beauxbatons? I imagine their teachings went far beyond simple magic."

Astoria smiled, pleased to have an original question.

"I think my favorite classes, aside from Potions and Care of Magical Creatures, and Defense, and History of Magic, were the strange ones. We had to take Equestrian because, well actually, I think it's because the blue silk of our uniforms looked stunning against the pure white winged horses she bred. Then we were forced into ballet. It's tradition in France, for the girls at least, although, some boys did chose to take it as well. It's why every Beauxbatons lady has her grace, no lie."

"I'm trying to imagine what Care of Magical Creatures and History of Magic had that could intrigue you so much. Potions and Defense, sure, they're exciting classes but the other two. Perhaps marred by my own negative experiences?"

"Or influenced by my own positive ones." Astoria said, allowing a small smile to light her face. "Potions and Defense are certainly the plainer ones. Potions takes calm and a level head, while Defense takes skill and cunning. Care of Magical Creatures is actually what captured my interest in healing, although France has many unusual creatures to capture a child's interest. I believe the professor drew the girls in with unicorns, and the boys with stories of dragons."

Draco smirked, and it was the first time that Astoria had actually seen any emotion other than sadness or blankness on his face. Of course, when he noticed the lull in conversation, or perhaps the shock in her face, the smirk dropped to nothing, but it was there, and she had seen it.

"Then, I suppose I'm just the dull sort of person who enjoys History of Magic, because History professors in general seem to be dull, perhaps by trade?"

He nodded, although the smirk didn't return. He really was a good dancer, Astoria noticed fondly. He even managed to spin her without crashing into someone else. Finally, the song's notes faded, and it was with a sort of sadness that Astoria released Draco, before taking the hand of Cygnus, who she hadn't seen within the hour.

"Allow me to apologize again for my mother" he said, drawing her in closer than was absolutely necessary for the dance.

"Being perfectly honest, she can be quite a bitter hag because of her nose, everyone says it spoils what might otherwise have been a beautiful face. And, she's not about to transfigure it, her magic is poor. And she definitely wouldn't do things the muggle way."He laughed at his own joke, and Astoria smiled, though she couldn't help wondering what his fixation was upon his mother.

"My point being," he continued "that my father and I both agree that you are one of the most charming people we've met, despite what mother thinks."

On a normal day, Astoria would have questioned this, as his father had barely spoken to her, but she was having too much fun to be logical, and it was nice to feel wanted.

By the end of the night, she was sure she'd danced with everyone in the room at least once including some fathers who were clearly trying to petition for their sons and some that honestly struck her as trying to feel the goods before a purchase. She made note not to remember the names of those boys as she was telling her mother who she got on with, she imagined how horrid it'd be to be married to someone and also, somewhat, perved on by their father.

She had seen Draco ask Daphne for a dance as she had suggested, but despite the proud look in Helena's eyes, there was obviously no chemistry there. It made her happier than it should have.

Pretty soon, he asked her for another dance, this time a quick moving one, with the result of nearly no personal space. It was one of her favorites, because of its simple pattern but very complex movements.

"You really are a splendid dancer" Draco said, and the smirk was back, this time looking like it would stay a while.

"I have no excuse. I believe Madame would have expelled anyone incapable of mastering dance. You, however, went to Hogwarts, so what's your excuse?"

"Putting it simply, your Madame and my Grandmother seem to have a lot in common." Astoria smiled at that, a true teeth baring grin, just as she was dipped back. Then she caught sight of her cousin Genevieve, and the smile broke out into a series of giggles.

"My cousin," she explained when she came back up to a confused looking Draco. She saw him begin to search for Daphne, and then she pointed out where Genevieve was hiding and 'expressing interest' in the 14 year old that had nearly run into the appetizer tray earlier.

She was practically on top of his lap kissing him, and Astoria half hoped that Genevieve's mother would see her, and then, for Genevieve's sake, hoped that she wouldn't.

Of course, she wasn't concerned for too long, as Draco turned her gently back to him, and stared at her with an expression she could hardly recognize. She playfully smiled then said

"Picking up where we left off" and proceeded to move back into him, and continue the count of the dance from there.

The expression on his face was a priceless mix between shock and another expression she couldn't recognize, but there was no anger, and he soon got back into the dance. When he was done, Astoria was shocked to realize that it had been the last dance of the evening. She curtseyed, he bowed back, and then she went back to the base of the stairs while he returned to his mother, who was still eyeing Astoria with a look between pleasant surprise and complete disbelief.

Then, the two girls ascended the stairs for the last time before waving goodbye to their guests and disappearing through the double doors. Immediately they were ambushed by their own mothers, each with a list in their hands. The girls were led into a parlor, and sat down, then the real point of the ball was discussed.

"I trust that both of you met every single young man here?" Astoria's mother Hermia was not one for dillydallying the way her sister in law Helena was.

The two nodded, and then the questions began. Many of the men Astoria and Daphne agreed about, such as Gregory Goyle, whose father had apparently felt both of them up 'discreetly'. Others seemed to have shown clear preference towards one girl.

For example, it was clear that Cyprus and Maggiore had shown a preference for Astoria, as Maggiore hadn't asked Daphne for even one dance to Astoria's three, and Cyprus and his mother had seemed cold to Daphne once she mentioned that her career ambitions weren't all that important to her. Astoria recalled faintly that all of a sudden Anastasia had seemed to enjoy her company more, and wondered if their fortune was as big as it claimed to be.

It was also clear that most of Daphne's Hogwarts chums such as Blaise Zabini and Marcus Flint preferred her to her foreign cousin. However, what shocked her was that Draco had not, in fact warmed up to Daphne, a fact which angered her mother.

"You obviously weren't trying hard enough Daphne. You know what it would mean to marry a Malfoy, they're an entire class above the rest of us. How could he not like you, it was you and he who went to school together, not him and Astoria in case you've forgotten."

"Mother I never spoke to him in school. He was a year older than me and untouchable, always surrounded by friends and admirers. And besides that, he was Pansy's long before I had an interest in boys, well, older boys. And I believe it is clear that for whatever reason he prefers Astoria to me, and I honestly found him boring anyways."

The 'whatever reason' part stung, as if Daphne honestly could not fathom why he'd prefer Astoria to herself, but it was clear to her that Daphne hadn't meant it that way. Then Astoria's mother spoke up.

"Helena, I know you weren't trying to insinuate that there was no possible way that Draco Malfoy could prefer Astoria over Daphne. Astoria is charming in her own right, just because those stuffy old Aunts are too fond of picking favorites to realize it. And besides, were Mr. Malfoy not here you'd be busy gloating to me about how your little baby was going to inherit the Zabini fortune, never mind Cinnia Zabini's questionable past."

This was clearly no longer about the two girls at all, so they both made a run for it, up the stairs into Astoria's room, where a bed was already set up for Daphne.

"You really do deserve him if he got on that well with you" Daphne said wistfully.

"It would figure that all the quality men would be attracted to you. I mean, aside from Blaise and a couple of these others, do you realize it was most of the perverted jerks, or worse, perverted fathers who preferred me to you?"

"Yes well, I drew most of the boring or quiet ones, so I think we're even" Astoria giggled, and Daphne joined her. The two soon began to speak of other things, and for a second Astoria almost forgot what had happened, and the conversation between their mothers. But she couldn't entirely put it out of her head. It was the first time her mother had ever stood up for her.


	4. Chapter Three

Astoria spent what felt like the entire next morning undoing charms that had been put on her face, and then she put on one of the cloaks she'd purchased. Apparently Twillfitt and Tatting's was known for their amazing quality of clothing, and she was not disappointed in any of her silks.

However, she was less than pleased about her mother's revised version of her schedule. As she began training to be a Healer in the fall, her mother seemed determined to meet everyone that Astoria had liked as soon as possible in order to get to know their families and spy on their financial situations. That was the part that Astoria truly dreaded.

If it were up to her it would have come down to Draco and Cyprus, but her mother had reminded her that it was impossible to really know someone by one meeting. Which was why she found herself, one week later, putting on a light pink dress and fixing her hair up in a bun in order to go to dinner with the Montgomery family and their son Maggiore.

To her embarrassment, her mother had actually fixed her a fact sheet. Although it made her cheeks heat up to admit it, she had, of course, made proper use of the list. Through it she knew the names of everyone in his immediate family, and a few helpful facts about all of them. Coupled with her own observations, she was ready.

His father, Miles, had been considerably harder to impress than Magenta, his mother, and she got the feeling that his father was the real decision maker of the household. Then there were his sisters fair. The eldest, Marianna, was engaged to a Frenchman, and was soon to be married. She was identified by her large gold eyes, as the rest of her family was gifted with dull brown. The middle sister Maitland took after her mother most in the cooing department, as Astoria had personally noted. The list mentioned her height: she was taller than any of the other women in her family, almost as tall as Maggiore. The list spoke of her passion for potions, a passion Astoria shared. Not much was said about Margery. She was listed as comparatively plain, and showed no real talent in school, but Astoria remembered the way her eyes lit up when addressed personally with a compliment. She vowed to feed the girl's ego, as next to her sisters it probably got little feeding.

At exactly half past six, Astoria, her parents, and her brother, Apollo, apparated to the outside gates of the Montgomery estate. Of course, the walk from the gate up to his front walk was tedious, especially in the shoes Astoria was made to wear. Still, she remembered to appear calm and collected, as if she'd just dropped from the sky.

The welcome was warm, warmer than Astoria had any right to expect. Marianna was not home, out with her fiancée, but Maitland and Margery were. Astoria was seated next to Maggiore for dinner, and Margery took the other seat next to her, which Maggiore wasted no time expressing his surprise over.

"She normally hates strangers" he said, and his voice was certainly charming. Astoria made sure to slip Margery small compliments that wouldn't upset Maitland, or make her feel ignored, but would boost Margery's ego. She spoke to Maitland about potions, earning the respect of the 16 year old. She gave Magenta more lavish compliments about her beautiful home, and made sure to treat Miles with all the respect she could muster. When she left it was with the air of having completely won over everyone in the house, especially Maggiore, who apparently had never seen his family take such a liking to a girl before. Astoria didn't know it, but what she lacked in physical appeal, at least when compared to her cousin, she more than made up for in charm.

Her next visit was to the house of Dispraux. Their son, Aladdin, had not exactly been a favorite of Astoria's but she vowed to treat him with the same respect he'd treated her with. Indeed she was as gracious as she could be. His father, Dustin, was one of the fathers that had danced with her to petition, and at the very least she found him to be charming, despite his less than amazing looks. His mother, Aria, was the only real beauty in the family, her only son having taken after her husband. She seemed hesitant to warm up to Astoria, but even she seemed to have been at least partially won over by the end.

Then there were the Bulstrodes. Astoria could not for the life of her understand the family. Ulysses was very pretty for a man, almost too pretty, it made Astoria feel intimidated. His youngest sibling, his brother Holloway, had also seemed to inherit this beauty, and Astoria recognized him immediately as the boy her cousin Genevieve had been 'getting to know'. His mother, Marjorie, had that practical kind of beauty, she was no model but her eyes were bright and her smile was inviting. His father, Britton, was obviously dashing in his youth and the charm remained. However his sister, Millicent, seemed to defy all of this. She was large, and had a look on her face akin to a cavewoman at all times. She was hardly gracious, and seemed to take an immediate dislike to Astoria.

Still, Astoria tried her best to be as warm and friendly as she could, which only served to further annoy Millicent, until she stood abruptly and, without another word, left the table. Astoria held her composure until she got home, where she promptly burst into tears, and it took her mother a full hour to convince her that she'd done nothing wrong, and that this was why dinners happened, and sometimes it was for the best.

Then, there was her dinner with Cyprus.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Narcissa Malfoy was not used to not getting her way with her son. Except for the very brief and unfortunate war during which he almost ruined his life, and hers, and her husbands, Draco was normally a model child. So when she asked him to court Pansy Parkinson, a girl she knew he had at some point expressed feeling for, she was beyond shocked when he refused.

Shrugging it off as her son wanting to distance himself from his small group of Hogwarts friends, Narcissa had not pushed the issue. He was, after all, still in many ways her baby, and she very much wanted to believe that he'd breach the impasse he'd gotten to. Lucius, after all, had quickly gotten the bounce back in his step once he was released from Azkaban officially, never mind that the pardon had come from the Potter boy. But Draco insisted on being stubborn.

Narcissa, of course, was used to stubborn. Having grown up with sisters like Andromeda and Bellatrix, especially Bellatrix, she would never shy away from a well placed temper tantrum. But then, the very essence of the boy she'd raised more or less from scratch began to fade, and that worried her. It seemed like every day a little thing was gone. First he'd seem to lose his sure step, then his smile left, soon followed by the smirk she'd grown to love, then followed by any emotion at all except his eyes, which were always sad.

She'd begun to lose hope. After dragging him from ball to ball, he showed as much interest in the girls he met as he did with everything else, that is to say none at all. Then one day, he came home with a spring in his step. His face was still emotionless, his eyes were still mournful, but that stride, one she'd know anywhere, was back.

Problem was, he wouldn't exactly tell her why. She didn't know if it was because of a new broom he'd seen, or perhaps an old friend he ran into, and she hardly dared to hope it'd been a girl. But after a couple of days, with no information from him, she'd turned to her last desperate measure. She dangled the promise of never attending a ball again over his head, the way she used to dangle the promise of new sweets, or a better broom.

Even when pressed with the one thing she knew he coveted, he wouldn't talk. In retaliation she dragged him to balls full throttle. Of course, Lucius was no help. After the first few, he refused to go, always claiming some errand that needed to be done. One day he said point blank that 'the boy will be ready when he is Narcissa, and until then there's not a damn thing you can do about him.'

It wasn't that Lucius didn't love Draco, which Narcissa knew many claimed. She almost wished she would have taken pictures, could have showed them how he tossed with nightmares when Draco became a Death Eater, despite his outward show of proud bravado. Or how he had cried, actually cried, when the war was over and they remained a family. But of course she couldn't, he could never show that face around others who'd want to exploit it as his weakness, and so she was alone.

Still she tried. Ball after ball, many girls beautiful, some even stunning, until at last she held one last invitation in her hands. It was midway through the yearly season, but early in the summer season, which suggested that the girls, not one but two she noticed, were fresh out of school.

"Daphne and Astoria Greengrass" she read, amused. Of course she knew Daphne. Pansy, while obviously not involved with Draco, still came by to speak with Narcissa, and had mentioned what a real beauty Daphne was. She knew that Draco would hardly have paid attention the younger years, except to torment non-Slytherins, but she also knew he appreciated rare beauty, she had taught him to.

She had gotten cold feet. Lucius had once again refused to go, and Draco was nowhere to be seen, and she almost considered letting him off the hook, just once, but she couldn't find it in herself to quit so easily. With help from the new, more efficient house elf, Fanny, Narcissa had tracked Draco down, cleaned him up, and dragged him to the ball. Her hesitancy meant they'd missed the entrance, but they'd slipped in unnoticed, and she still had hope.

Her hope deflated with a sharp pop when he met Daphne. Not only did he not seem to remember her, but he was cold to the point of rudeness. She could tell, even as the girl held her composure, that she'd been clearly offended.

Sighing, she was about to concede to taking Draco away, afraid to offend the other Greengrass, when the girl gave a smile aimed straight at Narcissa.

"Please, stay, you have to at least meet cousin" Daphne sighed, before walking determinedly away. It was then that Narcissa remembered the coming out of Andromeda, and how her mother had nearly died when Andy hadn't been able to reach all of her suitors during the greeting period. She wouldn't wish that anger on anyone.

She saw the girl before Draco did, but when she went to point her out, Draco turned away. Narcissa knew when she saw the girl that it was bound to be a failure. Draco always showed interest, always, in take charge women. Pansy had practically dominated a horde of girls throughout her Hogwarts career, and the brief fling he'd had with the Italian witch, Narcissa still wasn't sure she'd ever recover the shock of feeling inferior in her own home. This girl, no matter how stunning, and she was a beauty, was obviously not take charge.

Still, hoping to put the girl at ease, and lord was she small, Narcissa welcomed her warmly with an honest compliment and proceeded to lead her in the direction of her son. As Narcissa began to speak to the girl, she actually found herself enjoying the company. The girl definitely was not a large personality, but she was very charismatic, and the absence of that larger-than-life nature made her less intimidating.

When she finally reached Draco, she was shocked and a bit more than annoyed to find him pouting like a child, staring off determinedly not looking at the girl. However, the girl in question seemed to take it in stride, and Narcissa could have sworn she was trying not to laugh. Narcissa introduced herself and her son, expecting the same or worse treatment that Daphne had gotten, and it was a complete shock to her when Draco whipped his head around to stare at the girl.

With the mention of the two having met before, Narcissa became intrigued. As the conversation progressed, Narcissa put two and two together. At last she had found the reason that the swagger in her son's step was back, and she found in the form of this diminutive, slim, odd beauty. And not only was Draco not offending this Astoria he was actually holding a conversation, something he hadn't actually done with Narcissa herself, other than to argue, in a long while.

Another blow was dealt to Narcissa with her sons parting words to the girl. "Mother, I believe you were right, we should stay through the end. It'd be dishonorable to leave before dinner at the very least. Miss Astoria, you will save me a dance, won't you?"

Not once, at any single ball Draco had attended for the last year and a half, had he actually made plans to stay past dinner. Not once had he even made plans to stay through dinner, and on some of his more reckless days he'd dissapparate as soon as he met the girl in question.

The blows kept coming. Not only did he keep his promise to stay through dinner, he actually remained, by his own will, to dance. He snatched her up as soon as possible, despite a long line of people waiting to dance with her, and she kept his attention. Narcissa was faintly sure at that point that whatever gods may have existed answered her prayers, and that she was permanently staring at the girl in shock, especially when something she said made her son smirk.

It wasn't a smile, that was for sure, and it dropped off his face so fast she wasn't sure the girl, Astoria, had noticed, but Narcissa sure had. Then, at Astoria's bidding he'd danced with Daphne, and Narcissa could tell he was making the effort to be polite. After that, he'd managed to grab her for the last dance despite a group of many she would have chosen from, and boy did they dance.

Narcissa was bewildered. It shook almost every perception, every idea she'd formed in her head to lull him out of his depressed state. Every day trying different people, different events, and this tiny slip of a girl had done it without even meaning to. Narcissa was not mad, she was absolutely thrilled. She knew that, for once, she'd have something positive to report to Lucius, for all her hard work. Because not only was her son's gait back but his smirk, so much like his father's, was back as well. Apparently, it was coming out to play a lot more frequently.


	5. Chapter Four

The dinner was the first one Astoria was actually looking forward to, and she made sure to be prepared. It was fairly obvious to her after speaking with Cyprus that his mother had some sort of complex, so she'd make sure to keep the compliments coming, and only the ones she meant. Beauxbatons had taught her that one genuine complement meant more than a thousand fake ones.

His mother Anastasia was still a beauty, despite the nose. Then there was his father, Cirrus, who apparently had been at the very least amused by Astoria. She smiled at the thought that perhaps there would be no scheming for favor with him, as generally it was the mother who was hard to please.

With everything in mind, Astoria and her parents apparated to the Rosier household with smiles on their face. Astoria focused the majority of her attention on Anastasia. While she was welcomed in, she studied the woman's appearance very discreetly, out of the corner of her eye, and came up with several things to compliment her upon. Cirrus she welcomed with a hug, and although her mother seemed scandalized he laughed, further proving her point.

The two families were seated in a parlor, which found Astoria between her mother and Cyprus. The adults were busy speaking, when Cyprus turned and said

"Mother, I must give Miss Astoria a tour of the manor."

Astoria smiled and nodded, and so did Anastasia. Then they were off, Cyprus immediately leading Astoria with an arm placed carefully around her waist.

"Sorry if mother says anything to you." He sighed, as soon as they were out of earshot. As he led her around, Astoria was surprised at the beauty of his home.

"It's fine, I understand why she'd be protective. You, sir, happen to be the only son she's got." Astoria smiled, and Cyprus laughed.

"You know, you're the first person who hasn't been horribly offended by my mother. I really appreciate it." He may have been laughing, but Astoria could tell by his tone that he wasn't kidding.

"I'd be marrying you, not your mother." She realized as soon as she said it that she shouldn't have. It could be taken as a promise, and that was a promise she wasn't ready to make. However, when he pulled her in close and leaned down to kiss her, she found it difficult to care. It wasn't the best kiss she'd ever gotten, and she stopped it before it became inappropriate, but it was a sweet kiss.

"I'm sorry" he said, as soon as she pulled away.

"That was really inappropriate of me," he sighed. He moved slightly away from her, and slid his hands into his pockets somewhat awkwardly. She smiled, coming forward to take his hand.

"That's too bad. I rather enjoyed that, and I wonder what that says about me." He smiled back at her, and surprised her by leaning down to give her a quick peck before walking forward.

By the time the dinner bell rang, Astoria was surprised by just how much she really liked Cyprus. He was charming and sweet without being pushy, and he seemed to know exactly how far he could push Astoria by teasing her before changing topics. He managed to steal several more kisses during their walk as well.

The meal was just as pleasant. Anastasia had certainly warmed up a bit, especially when Astoria spoke about healing. Cirrus remained his jolly self throughout the night, and seemed to get along more than well with Astoria's father. By the time they left, Astoria felt like their families had just clicked.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Unfortunately for many eligible bachelors, Cyprus had set a very high standard. One by one Jacob Bletchley, whose mother glared at Astoria all through dinner, Angelo Holden, whose eldest sister practically spoke for him, Stephen Quigley whose dad perved on not Astoria, but Astoria's mom, and Louis Aberdeen, who spoke directly to Astoria's small bust, failed to capture her interest. Of course, she then had to mentally remove Ulysses Bulstrode, who she was sure would unfortunately end up marrying someone even less physically appealing than his sister unless Millicent somehow managed to marry herself off.

Pretty soon, she just had two dinners left. She felt guilty that she was saving the one with Draco for last, but she still put if off till the end, choosing instead to go to dinner with Engel Rizzio. When her mother had mentioned him, she had honestly forgotten who he was, which instantly made her pity him. She knew what it was like to be forgotten.

The Rizzio family consisted of two genuinely nice people. Engel got his mother Eden's black curly hair, and his father Erich's bright blue eyes, so she guessed, because Erich had died in the war. He'd been in the streets on the wrong time, and being a foreign wizard with no proof of his Pureblood status, he'd been killed. Eden was protective of Engel, but she was genuinely nice to Astoria and her parents.

Astoria couldn't imagine a glamorous life with Engel the way she could with other people. He was certainly quiet, and obviously very close to and concerned about his mother. But she couldn't put him off either. He was very sweet, and she could tell he was a gentle soul.

All that was left was the one that, somehow, Astoria couldn't help but anticipate.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria woke up that morning with a smile, and she had no idea why. Her marginal success with Draco wasn't exactly anything to celebrate, even less when she thought about it. Just because he'd been more polite to her than to Daphne didn't mean anything. Sure she liked him, but she also liked Cyprus, with his easy smile and kind eyes, and she also liked Engel, with his quiet personality and his genuine spirit.

By the time she had finished breakfast she'd completely convinced herself not to read too much into meeting the Malfoys. The fact that she took out her most gorgeous evening dress, the one he hadn't ever seen because she'd never worn it because it was old, had nothing to do with him. She simply put on more makeup because it was her last meeting and she wanted to look her best to celebrate getting the first stage over. The curly hair, which had taken her several tries, was just an excuse for her to practice new charms. In fact, she almost felt bad for not putting any thought into meeting the Malfoys at all.

Narcissa was not accustomed to being nervous either. When she'd come home, she hadn't even needed to tell Lucius that his family was back to normal, he'd noticed the minute Draco came into the house. Instead of glaring at everything, he'd been in almost a sort of dazed state. This, of course, meant that she needed to make sure that everything was perfect when Astoria finally made her way into the Malfoy manner.

Unfortunately, Narcissa was not close friends with Astoria's mother Hermia the way she was with some of the mothers of Draco's old school friends. She couldn't charm her way through it, and that terrified her. Lucius wasn't helping either. He refused to believe that Astoria could be the reason for Draco's happiness, even though it was obvious that something had happened.

Narcissa had done everything she possibly could, the menu was perfected to present such a variety that no matter what Astoria was bound to find a favorite food. She had spiffed Lucius up, mostly by force, and had ordered him to stay throughout the dinner. In fact, she'd been so busy preparing the manor, the food, and everything else, she'd almost forgotten to warn Draco, and certainly hadn't told him who was coming.

It was all for the best. In order for Lucius to see, truly see, what had her so excited, Draco needed to start the evening in his usual sulky mood. The prolonged absence from Astoria, yet another scheme of Narcissa's, had him back to square one: sulky and introverted.

Narcissa put so much effort into it, and yet when the Greengrasses arrived, she was sure there was so much more she could have, and should have done. She led them into the parlor timidly, although she was sure to put on an outward face of only utmost confidence.

"Astoria, darling, we are so pleased to have you in our home" she heard herself say. "Hello Hermia, lovely to see you, you as well Archimedes. So sorry Apollo couldn't join us. Everyone is in the parlor."

Narcissa had expected that Draco would show some recognition with a smirk while his father stood to greet the guests. If she was being optimistic, she hoped he might extend a verbal greeting. Anything to prove to his father that Astoria was in fact the reason he was coming back.

Instead, as soon as he laid eyes on Astoria he leapt out of his chair, smoothing down his clothes and coming forward to greet her family. He actually remembered the names of her parents, greeting them warmly, at least, warmly for him.

Lucius' eyebrows shot through the roof, almost brushing his admittedly receding hairline, before he kindly greeted Astoria and her parents.

Astoria wondered what it said about her personality that, despite trying her best not to be, she was a bit excited when she saw Draco again. Even trying to be modest she had to admit that he was handsome, now that she really looked at him.

Of course she'd noticed his looks before, it was hard not to. He was tall. It sort of made her feel even smaller than she was. Despite that he never looked down at her, even though technically he always was. But there was something about him that he was holding back, and that scared her. Until she knew what it was and why he was hiding it, she promised herself she'd employ her self control. Still, he really was nice to look at.

Oblivious the look of incredulity on his father's face, Astoria went forward to hug him, trying her best not to sink into the hug despite its comfort. Of course, Narcissa had to make it worse for her.

"Draco darling, won't you escort Miss Greengrass around the manor?" she said. Astoria blanched at the way his father's eyes shot straight to Draco's form, as if he was waiting for something. Draco himself merely nodded, slid an arm gently around Astoria's waist, and led her out of the room, and away from her comfort zone.

"You must have been very busty lately" Draco said, and Astoria wondered at the fact. He wasn't ignoring or avoiding the topic of the other dinners she'd been to, which meant he either didn't care, or was trying to dig up information on his competition. She decided either way it was best to be honest.

"I don't know if I necessarily am enjoying British men." Astoria said, studying his face for a reaction. He raised an eyebrow, but other than that did nothing.

"Hmm?" he questioned, egging her on.

"Don't get me wrong, I've missed Britain itself. But I'd quite forgotten the people. Some are simply boring, others are frankly disgusting, then you find one person you can tolerate and their sister nearly kills you…"

"Please don't tell me you were actually considering Ulysses Bulstrode" Draco said, his mouth curling up into a sneer. Astoria laughed tilting her head to the side.

"When you do that to your face you look" she trailed off in laughter, then frowned

"Why ever not? He himself was certainly very charming, his father didn't grope me on the dance floor, his mother didn't try to decapitate me with her eyes, except for Millicent they are a perfectly delightful family."

"Except for Millicent" he sighed, then moved on.

"Have you found nobody you like in Britain?"

"Of course, I adore being near my family" she said, playing oblivious "And I met this really nice shopkeeper in London the other day"

He simply stared at her. He wasn't going to budge, and that made Astoria feel a bit like a child all over again, being chastised by a teacher.

"And I met this very kind stranger in Diagon Alley." The smirk was back. It fit his face Astoria decided, it made him seem more dignified, and added to his facial structure. Not that she was staring or anything.

"Oh really? Because I met this very strange little girl there a while ago." Astoria narrowed her eyes.

"I am not that small" she said, stepping away from his side to fold her arms and glare. She thought she was doing a pretty nice job of staring him down until he shrugged and started walking away.

"You can follow when you're done pouting" he said. Astoria, just to be contrary, called back.

"I think I'll explore on my own then" she sighed, walking in a different direction. Next thing she knew Draco's arm was around her again, deliberately leading her back in the previous direction. She vowed to behave, and it was the first promise she followed through on.

The more Draco spoke, the more Astoria wondered what it was he was hiding. He was easily the most charismatic person she'd met, which scared her, but she knew there were skeletons in his closet. She promised herself that she wouldn't rest until she could figure them all out.

By that token the actual dinner was the most enjoyable one Astoria had been through, despite the fact that the Malfoys were intimidating. Narcissa and Lucius sat at either head of their table in absolute perfection, while Astoria sat next to Draco on one side, and her parents sat on the other side. Narcissa was an expert conversationalist, and Lucius hardly needed to talk, having the air of a king did that for people. But the most intimidating moment was when Astoria looked up into the eyes of Lucius Malfoy.

It was quite obvious he was studying her, although her parents were too busy soaking in the atmosphere to notice. And it was at the very least evident to Astoria that something about what he saw bothered him. His face was set in an awkward expression she couldn't understand, but it didn't look happy. Draco seemed to notice as well, he kept grinding his teeth and sending glances at his father, as if daring him to comment on something.

Astoria, out of manners and timidity more than anything else, ignored the behavior, and focused on everyone else. Inside, she felt like crying, and she didn't quite know why. On the outside, she continued to smile obliviously.

It was not until Astoria got home that she let the tears fall, and this time she had no idea why she was crying. The dinner was actually a success; the first thing her mother had done when they'd gotten home was congratulate Astoria for clearly catching Draco's eye. She had promised herself that she wouldn't let herself care about meeting his parents, she'd broken her promise, and she was paying for it with her tears. Still, she knew then more than ever that there was no way she was going to write him off. There was definitely something there.


	6. Chapter Five

**A/N: I couldn't resist. Somehow, I doubt anybody is going to be too disappointed. Anyways, Chapter 6 will go up by 30th. Enjoy :)**

* * *

Astoria woke up to her mother's face.

"Now is the most important stage of all" her mother said, ignoring the fact that Astoria was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Astoria wrinkled her face.

"I thought the family dinner part was the hard part. Now don't you and dad just pick one?" she rolled over, ready to go back to sleep, when her mother pulled her back up.

"Maybe in your great grandmother's day! You know that I and your father are in love, did you just think that was luck?" Astoria nodded sheepishly, and then sat up properly.

"From now on, you must begin to court or rather, I guess, date these boys. Eventually you will hope for an official proposal. Now, I know what you deal with between Daphne and everyone else, but darling, I am fully expecting you to get at least two marriage proposals. Your aunt Helena, of course, will not stop bragging about the eight that she received, but many proposals were from people that honestly, she never would have married. I myself received three, but for me it was an obvious choice."

"Do I just write him an owl and say 'let's shop?'" Astoria asked, still confused and tired. She'd always just assumed her parents would take care of it, and she wasn't looking forward to trying to meet up with half of London. Her mother eyed her, and then sighed.

"I suppose this is my fault for sending you away to France. Very well, I know you went out with men before, think of it as the same. I would start with someone you were uncertain about, and go to an open place. I learned that the hard way."

Astoria took her mother's words to heart, and decided to invite Aladdin to a small café she'd found one day. He quickly responded that he would be pleased to accompany her, perhaps the next evening, to which she sent an owl confirming his time and date.

Then, still dressed in her pajamas, she descended to her kitchen. Apollo was once again home, and this time she had some questions for him.

"Apollo, what is a season like for a guy?" she said as she slid in next to him. She was working on developing a normal accent, but it wasn't actually working.

"We have the easier job I think. We check out the girls at those balls, and then wait to be invited to dinner. Then if we are, we hope that the girl has done enough research not to piss off our families, and that, if we like her, our families behave. Then, we wait for the go ahead for the first date. Now, I must warn you Astoria, one invitation is enough. If the guy enjoyed himself, it's up to him to continue trying to engage you, otherwise you come across desperate."

It was a decent lecture, and Astoria felt considerably better knowing she'd done nothing wrong. What she did fear was insulting the Malfoy family. Because, had she insulted Lucius Malfoy, she was sure that there'd be hell to pay. And there was some annoying part of her that for whatever reason kept bringing images of Draco to her head.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

In fact, Astoria had not done anything to offend any of the Malfoys. On the contrary, the looks she'd misunderstood from Master Malfoy had actually been directed towards Draco himself. Lucius Malfoy full intended to discover what his son had found so amazing about the barely grown witch that he had to drag them into a hell's load of trouble.

"You wouldn't understand" Draco said, and his father could still hear the tones of a sullen teenager in his voice. It made him smile. Some things never changed.

"Well, if you plan to marry her I suggest you had better begin making me understand." Draco whipped his head around to look at his father

"I'm not, I don't, we're, I wouldn't" Lucius merely chuckled. If anything his son's spluttering confirmed what he already knew. And even he had to admit the girl possessed a certain charm.

"Well, at any rate I hope you're ready to deal with your mother. If you were going to decide to give her hope you should have at least warned me, I would have left, preferably to somewhere far and exotic. Now, as you decided not to be interested in taking a wife, we never actually discussed what was expected of you, so let me make it clear. Since you've obviously chosen this girl, you better make sure she chooses you too. Malfoy men have very good taste and an expensive name to match, but I wouldn't have gotten anywhere with your mother if I'd simply sat around denying what I wanted."

Draco sighed. "Perhaps there is something about Astoria that's, intriguing. She certainly doesn't follow the crowd, and she's very charming."

Lucius snorted, but couldn't bring himself to disagree. There was something effortless about her that reminded him almost of Narcissa, and yet the two were very different.

"Yes well, remember, Malfoy men never lose. If you want her, you reach out and take her. But you had better be sure she's the one. If your eye starts to wander once you're committed she'll resent you for the rest of both of your lives, and you might find yours considerably shortened. My father was born with two brothers."

Of course, Lucius knew his father's elder brother had actually died of some disease he got from a muggle, and his refusal to go to St. Mungo's. Nevertheless he had cheated on his wife, and it was a mystery how the muggle got into contact with him in the first place.

"I can't marry her." Draco said, and the adult tone in his voice scared Lucius. He was forced to admit that Draco wasn't quite the child he once was, and there was obviously something on his mind aside from his sullen attitude.

"Why not? Her blood is pure; the Greengrasses are a respectable family." Lucius was confused, but ready to listen. He knew by the look on his son's face that what came next he was not ready to hear.

"Have you seen what happens when we go out in public? Even clearing us from all blame isn't enough for them. Frankly, I'm surprised she didn't recoil from me. I don't think she could marry into that, it's unfair to expect it from her. She will run when she finds out the truth, and I'm unsure as to whether or not it should come from me."

Lucius sighed. It was easy to pretend there was nothing going on when they were at their manor, but there was a large chance that Draco's prediction was very accurate. For once, Lucius was unsure if there was anything he could do to protect Draco from what had been solely his mistake.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria did not have to wait to spot Aladdin, he found her the moment she apparated in front of the restaurant. He was waving subtly, and was already seated in the outdoor café area. However, after the hello's, the first words out of his mouth were

"I can't marry you Astoria, I'm in love." Astoria winced, sliding back in her seat. "Then why bother accepting? At any rate I hope you and your betrothed are very happy" but before she could leave, Aladdin grabbed her hand and said

"Wait, I, I need your help. I can't marry her, and I need help well, my mother adored you, and I'm sure with your help, I just, I can't give up." Astoria rolled her eyes.

In a joking tone she said "Wait, don't tell me. You're marrying a muggle."

When Aladdin didn't immediately shoot her a look of contempt or disgust, Astoria felt her insides squirm.

"A muggle, really Aladdin? Do you know how much trouble, I'd never be able to marry anyone if"

"She's only muggle-born. And her uncle is magic, so she's not the first in her family. I, I bumped into her in a bar and it was completely like Romeo and Juliet."

"Like who?" Astoria was calculating the fastest escape route, but she could only think of one. And apparating away would be rude. Instead, she faked a smile, and stood abruptly.

"You and I both know I can't help you, as much as I wish I could. I really do wish you well, some of the best things have come out of purebloods marrying non-purebloods, I know. But as far as I'm concerned, all I know is you're marrying someone your mother dislikes. If you get caught before I'm married, whether it all works out or not, I reserve the right to throw a fit and act like I feel horribly betrayed. I'll just go now. Goodbye."

Astoria left with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She hadn't promised him anything at all, but somehow she felt committed.

When she got home, she was able to lie seamlessly to her mother.

"It was wonderful. He was a gentleman, and I think, well, it's too soon to say, but I think there's real promise there."

Her mother beamed, before asking her whether she had planned anything with anyone else. Sighing, Astoria trudged up the stairs.

It was largely because of her brother that Astoria found herself, less than a week later, being led up the stairs in a quidditch stadium by Maggiore. Apollo had mentioned that the boy was a fan of the sport in general, so Astoria had thought it would be worth her while to surprise him with tickets to an international game.

He had been so pleased; he'd given her a jumper in the deep forest green of the team, Italy after his ancestry. She sat with him, Maggiore's arm draped gently around her waist, and she struggled to appear unbothered by his closeness. It was a kind gesture, for him to hold her so close.

"Darling, you look magnificent." he said, brushing some stray hairs back into place on the side of her face. He really was dashing Astoria noted, as she smiled and mumbled a demure thank you.

It was a compliment he could have given anyone, but it did seem like he was having trouble taking his eyes off her. The match started well for Italy, who had just welcomed a new tough beater. Astoria, never having been to a professional game, was amazed by the skill of the players, and almost didn't notice Maggiore subtly slide closer.

"Are you a quidditch fan then?" he asked, an eyebrow cocked.

"Well, it's not a talent of mine, but I enjoy watching, yes." Astoria said, hating how polite she sounded. The thought came, unbidden, that Daphne would have bit off a witty or interesting comment that would have still been sociable and polite. Maggiore didn't seem to mind however, he simply smiled at her.

"Hmm, do not take offense but there's hardly much you could do besides seeker, small as you are. Undoubtedly though, you'd be the prettiest player on the team." The comment brought a light blush into Astoria's cheeks, and she looked out onto the field to hide it from him.

"You mean you can't imagine me as a beater?" she feigned shock, biting her lip to keep from laughing. He did no such thing, laughing and somehow tightening his grip around her, so it became less like a resting place for his arm, and more like an embrace.

Three hours later Italy had thoroughly destroyed Peru, a total score of 675 to 450, despite the fact that the Peruvian seeker had caught the snitch. Maggiore had kissed her on the spot in excitement, and Astoria couldn't help the blush that colored her face, or her excitement, despite the fact that she told herself she wouldn't get too bothered.

When Astoria got home, she was greeted by the sight of her cousin Daphne, who seemed to have just arrived herself.

"Oh, thanks for sparing me the bother of looking for you." Daphne sighed. She brushed her red hair out of her face, and stared expectantly at Astoria.

"And to whom or what do I owe the pleasure of your arrival?" Astoria said, unable to slip out of the all-too-polite façade she'd begun to associate with Daphne's presence.

"I think I've met the man I'm going to marry!" she cooed, a small smile lighting her eyes. Astoria's answering smile was a bit tight, not that Daphne noticed.

"You know the Bulstrodes yes? Well, after hearing your story I was scared stiff as a board to go, but mother made me and Millicent was a delight. I complimented her hair, which really is rather nice, and we went on about the good old days. Don't feel bad, I mean, we all ran in the same circle at Hogwarts." Daphne sighed contentedly, and Astoria frowned.

"You used to idolize Pansy Parkinson, and you and everyone else in that group used to torment her!" Astoria couldn't help the outburst; it was ridiculous that because they went to the right school Millicent wouldn't bully Daphne. Yet, as she thought about it, it did make sense.

"She still wants to be part of that silly little group…" Astoria sighed

"Well, you can enjoy him then, Maggiore was wonderful today, charming and pleasing. He seems so lovely." Of course Astoria was embellishing a bit, but she genuinely felt the connection between them more that day than she had before.

"'That's lovely. Oh, Astoria Ulysses is so charming, I'm so glad you're not going to go after him, because we just fit together, you know? He's so wonderful, and his brother too." Daphne smiled cheerily at Astoria, who rolled her eyes when her cousin wasn't looking. It was typical Daphne to center a conversation around herself whenever she could.

"Anyways, I'm meeting up with Pansy tonight, and, well, I thought you might want to join us. I have to talk to her about inviting Millicent out with us sometime; it's so silly to waste time on our petty schoolgirl rivalries."

Astoria sighed. In theory this was a harmless invitation that she could just as easily turn down in favor of some free time, but in actuality her cousin was demanding her presence.

"Pansy doesn't even like me, and she's a year older than us, why would she want to invite you out?" it was a feeble attempt at distraction, getting Daphne to brag, but she hoped it would work.

"Well, she obviously realizes how much we're alike. I'd like to think I was the Pansy of my year, I mean, we're so similar right? She's the cream of the crop, at least, of our group of friends, and we're the most exclusive group. Well, except for that little group of Gryffindors centered around Potter. You know, it's a shame his father died, because I'll bet James Potter would have given him a proper introduction to his season. He is so cute with that savior of the world thing. And Pansy does not dislike you, I'm sure she'd love your company, you're pretty."

Astoria wondered whether her cousin was even aware of how shallow she made herself and her friend sound.

"Well, if you don't mind me inviting Chloe" it was a last resort, threatening to invite her outspoken friend, someone that Daphne struggled not to outwardly dislike.

"The African one, is she even in the country?" Daphne waved away the idea of Chloe, but Astoria refused to be moved.

"She's staying here for a bit, she says she's bored with France. Either we both go, or I don't go. I'll change and then apparate over to her house, see you in an hour?" Astoria said, smoothing down her dress and popping up to her room. She couldn't help her smug smile; standing up to Daphne was something long overdue.

Less than an hour later, Chloe was perched on a chair opposite from Astoria, her braided hair falling down her back almost distracting from her wicked smile.

"So the cousin didn't want me to go? C'est tragique. And I was so looking forward to meeting this pansy."

"Oh, not like that Chloe, that implies that you think she's a"

"I know what I said Tori." Chloe smirked. With a pop, Daphne appeared in Astoria's room, her smile fading as she locked eyes with still-smirking Chloe.

"Oh, so glad your little friend could come." Daphne's smile was tight, and her glance in Astoria's direction felt more like a glare. Immediately Astoria shriveled, but Chloe looked up.

"Lovely seeing you again Daph" she said smarmily, before standing. It was no secret that Chloe thought Daphne was an airhead, an opinion she extended to almost all Hogwarts girls. Daphne ignored Chloe entirely, turning to face Astoria.

"We're meeting her at that café near the Leaky Cauldron" she said smiling, before apparating. When they met outside the Cauldron, Daphne was already walking towards a woman with her dark hair in a bob on her head. As they got closer, Chloe scoffed at her rather flat and wide nose, turned up at the end like a pug dog, before trudging forward with an amused expression.

"Hello Daphne. I'm Pansy by the way, for you." Pansy waved the two away with her hand before turning to face Daphne again. She looked exactly like Astoria remembered, an almost pretty face with her flat nose threatening to ruin it. The dress she wore was shapeless and short, the type of thing that Astoria always associated with tasteless people, but Pansy misconstrued her staring.

"Admiring the dress? It was a gift from a very important man who I'll tell you all about in a moment" Pansy practically cooed, before turning her back on Astoria, grabbing Daphne's arm, and leading her into the café as if she didn't care whether or not Astoria and Chloe were following.

She led them to a table with some other girls from Daphne's group of friends that Astoria didn't really know.

"Pansy" a perky looking blonde shrieked, as if it was a miracle that she was there. Everyone else immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up. Astoria refrained from rolling her eyes, sending a small smile around as she took a seat on Daphne's left. Chloe slid in next to her.

"I have some exciting news…" Pansy said after greeting everyone warmly.

"…so lunch is taken care of today." Everyone shrieked as if money was important to them, while Chloe picked up a spoon and began examining herself in it and Astoria tried to politely listen in. After nearly half an hour of meaningless chatter over a meal that held no interest for either Astoria or Chloe, Pansy got down to the heart of the matter.

"Well, I know you all are starting your seasons, and for some of you" she glanced 'innocently' in the direction of a slightly chubby girl with auburn hair

"This will be a long and tedious process. However, after only one and a half years into my season, I am engaged." The shrieking began instantaneously, and Astoria was reminded of the one time she'd went to visit her 13 year old American cousin, Annie (Anastasia) Greengrass.

"Wait, who are you engaged to?" suddenly it was silent. Chloe had stopped sipping and resorted to gulping down the fruity alcoholic death that was her drink. Pansy held out the silence as long as possible before sighing and saying

"You are looking at the future Mrs. Lucian Bole." There was a split second of silence before one girl spoke up.

"Oh, you deserve it Pansy" leaning in to smile sweetly.

"Oh, you two are perfect together" the next girl added, nodding. In that way it was passed along until finally it came to Astoria.

"Well, I'm sure you two will be happy together." Astoria said, turning expectantly to Chloe. She knew as soon as she saw Chloe's expression that it was useless.

"Mon dieu Astoria, do you even know Lucian?" Chloe frowned at her. Daphne and Pansy were quieted, Pansy looking at Chloe inquisitively, Daphne looking like she wished someone would shoot her.

"Well, I've heard he's handsome, and certainly charming, a most admirable husband-to-be Pansy." Astoria said in a small voice, while Chloe shot her a look.

"How old is he anyways, thirty?" Chloe directed her question at Pansy, ignoring the shocked looks of everyone around her, Astoria's pleading glance, and Daphne's murderous stare.

"He is twenty-four and that is none of your business" Pansy said, staring across the table at Chloe with a glare mirrored on every other girl's face.

"Is he poor, or maybe ugly?" Chloe frowned, shaking her head pityingly.

"Why would you even ask" Pansy started, but Chloe cut in.

"Because I struggle to see why this great guy would marry a girl from his Hogwarts days who, frankly, still lives in her Hogwarts days." Chloe said, and then stood, grabbing Astoria's arm.

"We're leaving, thanks for the meal, and I wish I could say it was très magnifique to be in your company but, let's not lie to ourselves." Chloe said, dragging Astoria out by her arm.

When they got out, Chloe immediately started laughing.

« Oh, elle m'amuse. Elle est trop sérieux n'est pas, et je n'ai pas déjà vue une chambre de filles qui » (Oh, she amuses me. She's a little too serious, and I've never seen a room of girls who) Astoria cut her off

« Pense-tu que c'était un peu méchante ? Elle n'a jamais rien fait à toi. » (Don't you think that was mean ? She didn't do anything to you.)

As they spoke, they walked down the streets of Diagon Alley. It was easy for Astoria to forget just how much Chloe didn't stick to the rules. She was loud, and would be rude if she felt like it, but she was also a very loyal friend.

"We should invite Nicole" Chloe said, evidently getting bored of French. She twirled as she reminded Astoria of the third of their quartet.

"Isn't she busy? She always goes to America for vacation."

"What, and deny her the right to show off whatever fancy, snotty, American wizard she's found?" Chloe said, putting on her best American accent.

"Well, if we invite Nicole, we should probably get a hold of Anya too." Astoria smiled. She'd forgotten how peaceful it could be around her friends, it was a place where she didn't have to try to be something.

"Of course!" Chloe smiled. Anya was the most foreign, having come down from Bulgaria wrapped in fur in their fourth year. She spent every Holiday tucked away in the heart of Bulgaria, but would sometimes spend a weekend or two in Britain or France when she got sick of her close-knit family.

"Maybe you should all just stay for the weekend?" Astoria said with a large smile on her face. Although Britain was fun, it was strange to think that for the first time in seven years she wouldn't be returning to the Palace of Beauxbatons.

"That would be brilliant" Chloe sighed, turning to smile at her friend

"Except, I think you need to get out of London, especially now that I see the company you're forced to keep without the three of us. We should all go to Bulgaria, or America, and enjoy ourselves." Normally Astoria would have disagreed, and insisted upon the familiar, but she realized that once she started Healer training she'd have next to no free time. The more she thought about it, the better Bulgaria sounded.

"It's a good idea" she conceded, smiling at her friend. The two girls walked on, and in the midst of other conversations, Bulgaria was long forgotten.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Two days later, Astoria woke up to Chloe banging on her door before remembering her wand and using it to barge in. Immediately Chloe was a whirlwind of activity. She grabbed Astoria's arm and yanked her out of bed and out of her home. Astoria barely had time to wave goodbye to her mother before Chloe had apparated the two of them to her apartment. Bored of France, Chloe had decided to settle temporarily in the Leaky Cauldron. Astoria was sure she really just wanted to anger her parents.

"Chloe you could have splinched me" Astoria cried, checking to make sure that it was still a 'could have'. She was still in her pajamas. Chloe simply charged ahead, already having a quick quotes quill write a letter to Anya. She came back with a pen and parchment.

"Here you go, you write Nicole. She's more likely to say yes if you write her. Oh, I can't wait! Shall we stay for two weeks? Anya has always said she wants us over, and that's a good visit right? We can see the sights of Bulgaria, or at least the sights of Bulgarian men."

Astoria rolled her eyes, finally catching on, and wrote the letter. Nicole was more likely to respond to Astoria's overly polite letters than to Chloe's slightly accusatory and overenthusiastic ones. As she was writing, Astoria got a nagging feeling reminding her of her cousin Daphne, who had always wanted to go to Bulgaria.

"We should invite Daphne" she said, as she continued scribbling away to Nicole. She ignored Chloe's grunts of displeasure; instead making sure her friend added it to the letter she was writing to their dark-haired exotic friend.

"Fine, as long as you ask her." Chloe contented.

Astoria smiled. Daphne, she knew, would be excited, and she did sort of owe her cousin a favor. After taking tea with Chloe she went home and changed then apparated to Daphne's manor, hoping to catch her cousin before she went out for the day. To her surprise, nobody seemed to be home, so she settled down to wait.

Astoria had been waiting for Daphne for fifty minutes in her front parlor when she walked in the door with her small blonde friend Nadine and the hulking figure of Millicent Bulstrode. Astoria stood, greeting her cousin and friends with a smile.

"Daphne, can I speak with you for a moment?" Nadine made herself at home, while Millicent stared between them.

"Anything you can say to Daphne you can say to me" she said, eyes narrowing at a slightly confused Astoria.

"Oh yes, anything you can say to me you can say to my – my friends" Millicent might have missed the hesitancy, but Astoria caught it. She struggled not to roll her eyes, simply letting it go. Daphne had the right to do as she pleased.

"Would you want to come with Chloe, Nicole, and I to visit Anya in Bulgaria? It would be a two week trip, and I know you used to be a fan of" Astoria was cut off by Daphne's laugh.

"Why would I ever want to do that, your friends are so boring." Daphne waved Astoria off before leading the two girls away. Astoria sat still in shock, before apparating home on the spot.

"Of all the" she cut herself off; instead she took out parchment and a quill and wrote Anya to tell her that Daphne wouldn't be coming. Sighing, she made her way outside her room and, with nothing else to do, apparated to Hogsmeade. She decided to try the Three Broomsticks, but it being too full, she walked to the new Ice Cream shop instead. At least the Ice cream wouldn't bother her.


	7. Chapter Six

**A/N: **Okay. So, I am going to be going on vacation to Puerto Rico! I will be bringing my computer, but there is no guarantee that I will write. I _want _to get the next chapter out by the 14th, but I will be getting back on the 6th and then leaving again on the 12th. SO I will say for sure Chapter 7 will be posted by the 18th but I can't guarantee any sooner until I've finished writing Chapter 13 and at least started Chapter 14. Anyways, enjoy this one! Trust me.

* * *

Astoria was nearly packed for Bulgaria and was taking a break from matching cloaks and accessories etc. when a frowning Daphne stumbled into her room. Although she and her cousin were somewhat close, Astoria was not used to being one of the people Daphne relied on for gossip. But, she wouldn't offend her cousin by turning her out to finish packing.

"It's so unfair, all of my friends live in London" Daphne sighed, throwing herself across Astoria's bed. Her hair fanned around her like a curtain, and she pretended not to see Astoria frown. Astoria rolled her eyes at the wall before addressing her cousin with a rather tight smile.

"Well, when I asked you if you wanted to come along, you turned me down." Sure Astoria had only asked to be polite, but Daphne's rather rude response was a bit more hurtful and a bit less dignified than she would have liked.

"Oh, please can I come Astoria?" Daphne perked up, missing the brisk tone in Astoria's voice.

"I'll be good I swear. I won't even fight Chloe, and Nicole likes me." Astoria had to concede that the last time the two girls had been in a room together they had bonded over mocking other people. She knew Chloe would kill her, but she couldn't hurt her cousin either.

"Of course you can come, but you only have a week to pack" Astoria said, hoping that would dissuade her cousin. Daphne was a notorious over-packer, she could pack 2 trunks full of things for a weekend trip, and the two girls would be spending two weeks hidden away in the heart of Bulgaria.

"I'm already packed; I started packing after you invited me the first time, when I realized how boring things are in London if you leave. The only thing I don't have packed is your birthday present." Astoria had almost forgotten that her birthday was approaching, now that school was over. July 3rd, the same as every other year. She wondered if the date had anything to do with Chloe's sudden need to vacation, and fervently hoped not.

"That's great! Now all you have to do is write a letter to Chloe telling her you're coming. Well, and to Anya." If it was Astoria in Daphne's position, she would have given up. Although she'd never admit it, she hated writing to people she didn't know. It felt impersonal, and creepy. Daphne, on the other hand, grinned.

"We'll have so much fun!" she said, before leaving Astoria's room as quickly as she came. Privately, Astoria penned her own letters to all three of her friends, explaining why Daphne was coming. As usual, Anya sent a short letter saying it was fine, Chloe sent one berating Astoria for being a pushover, and Nicole sent 5 sheets of parchment on why she was excited, how fun America was, what she was packing, and other small details.

As soon as she was sure her cousin had left, Astoria flopped back onto her bed frowning. She could only think of getting away from her cousin, even just for a moment. So when she got a letter from Engel inviting her out for a day at his small workplace, she readily agreed.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

A day later, Engel was helping Astoria take her cloak off as she surveyed the strange place where he claimed to work. Of course she knew that he worked for fun not money, but the wizard daycare was absolutely adorable. Children in matching miniature robes pranced about flying on miniature broomsticks and waving sticks enchanted to make sparkles like wands.

He surveyed her apprehensively, but she couldn't contain her smile. She loved children; they were who she eventually wanted to heal.

"This is adorable!" she cooed, a small smile growing on her face as she surveyed the room. As soon as she spoke, they all turned to look at her. Some toddled over immediately: one brave boy hugging her legs, while another girl tugged her hands.

Others shied away from her, one surprising Engel by hiding behind his legs and peering out at her.

"I like your hair" one little boy said, earning a smile from Astoria. Others complimented her on her looks too. It was sweet, and by the time Astoria went home, she felt happier than she had in a while. In spite of that, she still eagerly anticipated going out with Draco.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Two days later, Astoria sat in a café waiting for him. She had agonized over her hair before leaving it down, and she was dressed classily in high waist pants and a peach blouse. However, her nerves had caused her to arrive early, and therefore, she was bored.

The door opened, but instead of being Draco she noticed a mother with two babies and a toddler. One of the babies was being levitated through the air by a clearly frazzled mother, so without thinking about it, Astoria plucked it out of the air. The girl had short light brown curls, making her young age very obvious.

"Oh petite precieuse" she cooed, ignoring the mother, who seemed floored.

"What's her name" Astoria asked, hating that the French snuck back into her voice. Somehow the accent had stuck, she imagined from years of learning magic in French.

"Her name is Angeline" her mother said,

"This is Angelus, her twin, and this little spitfire is Natalie."

The three year old giggled at being addressed before darting between her mother's legs, while the infant huffed, before turning a large green eye so similar to his sister's to face Astoria. Immediately, he started crying and reached out to where she was already holding his sister. The woman smiled, but before she could say anything, Astoria felt two familiar arms work their way around her waist, and an even more familiar voice whispered

"Seems like you charm men of all ages." The woman's smile grew tight upon seeing Draco, and despite the wailing cries and reaching arms of Angelus, she led her two children away.

"Bring Angeline back when you're leaving" she said, a bit coldly, before steering a wailing Angelus and a confused looking Natalie away. Astoria turned away from the woman to face Draco, who was staring at her with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Sorry, for that, I mean" he said, gesturing with his head towards where, even then, the woman was watching Astoria cradling Angeline over the top of her menu.

"People are judgmental. If Harry Potter, of all people, is able to look you in the eye and say that your family deserved pardon, then it should be good enough for them."

"If we were all as good as Potter the war wouldn't have started in the first place. As is, there's a lot of things the general public doesn't know about the war, and what they do know is bad enough for them to hate me for quite some time."

Astoria sighed. She hadn't wanted to bring the issue up, and she was curious to hear not the public's side, but Draco's. But something was telling her now was not the time to ask, so she drew in a deep breath, and with it pulled all her questions into the back of her mind.

"Okay." was all she said out loud, before diverting her attention to wave at a still crying Angelus, who giggled.

Draco seemed troubled, his brows furrowed in confusion, and Astoria tried not to dwell on how sweet and almost innocent he looked, when his face was consumed by real emotions.

"You don't care?" Somehow, it was both a statement and a question, as if he dared not believe it. Astoria simply smiled, before glancing back down to her menu.

"You know, I've been here a few times. I always consider getting a quiche, and then settle for soup. This time though, I think I might try the quiche." She looked up, only to catch another glimpse of a smirk she was coming to appreciate.

"Quiche? Guess Beauxbatons really did a number on you, huh?" She recognized that he was poking fun at her, and shot him a smirk of her own, arching an eyebrow.

"There is nothing wrong with quiche, it is delicious and a favorite of many people, Mr. Malfoy." Draco laughed, but his eyes focused on hers as he said

"Call me Draco. Honestly, Mr. Malfoy is so like my father, and I'm still not sure whether that's something I need to be."

Astoria smiled, a genuine smile, and looked into Draco's eyes. She knew that there were things he needed to tell her, for his sake, not hers. And she promised herself that she wouldn't give up on him. It was obvious to her that the public disapproval bothered him more than he'd admit, and she was going to make sure that he got back to a healthier place. Besides, she had a feeling she couldn't rest until she'd at least seen him truly happy.

"Fine then Draco, I'd like to know what you have against my quiche?" She smiled, feeling bolder than she had in a while.

"Hmmm, maybe I should taste it?" he said. She smiled, and he waived the waitress over.

"I'll have a steak and a fire whiskey, and Astoria will have a quiche and a…" he trailed off, but Astoria didn't notice, too busy being mildly amused by the way the waitress seemed to think that shoving her bust towards Draco's face would make her middle-aged frame more attractive.

"Oh!" she said when she finally realized, a bit of pink rising to her cheeks. Draco raised an eyebrow in amusement, and the corner of his mouth hinted at a smirk.

"Umm, a butterbeer, please." The two were now both looking at her, Draco with that same amused curiosity and the waitress like she'd just noticed Astoria was there.

"Oh, right." The waitress clipped, suddenly seeming to decide that standing straight might be better for her posture after all. As she walked off, Astoria glanced again at the mother, who was now glancing at her son warily. She scanned the store, and Astoria noticed her leg bouncing as she glanced between the table and the bathroom. She locked eyes on Astoria, bit her lip, and then stood with an apologetic smile.

"I am so sorry to bother you, especially after I was so rude, I'm just a bit stressed. You're wonderful with children by the way. And, well, can you watch them for maybe just 5 minutes while I go to the loo?" The woman came over with her toddler and Angelus, who had given up his wailing now that his target was in sight.

"I'll take him" Astoria offered, shifting Angeline to one arm and scooping the now gurgling baby boy into the other. Then, after a bit of juggling, she shifted both babies into a surprised looking Draco's arms, and hoisted the smiling three-year old onto her lap.

"Go ahead, Draco and I will be just fine with them" Astoria smiled, glancing at Draco to see his reaction. His eyebrows were raised, but his smirk had come back out to play, and he was absentmindedly bouncing Angelus on his knee. He nodded at her, and she turned back to the frazzled mother.

"Thank you both so much, I promise I won't be gone long. Astoria waved her towards the door, and then she turned to face Draco.

"Do you always stop strange women with children and offer them time off their motherly duties?" Draco asked, tilting his head in amusement.

"No, trust me. Children don't do well in bathrooms, they make messes and make noise and it's simply unpleasant for everyone involved."

"How very noble of you" Draco nodded, attempting to stop Angelus from fussing. Natalie was staring at him, and then she stared at Astoria.

"Are you a mommy?" She asked bluntly. Despite the child's age, the statement still brought a blush across Astoria's face.

"No silly. I'm too young to be a mommy. I still need my own mommy." She smiled. The three year old then bounced off her lap, and scooted a chair closer to Draco.

"Then you're not a daddy." She said, standing on the chair and planting a three year old kiss on his cheek. Still smirking, he winked at Astoria before handing her Angelus, who immediately quieted down.

"Nope!" Draco replied, popping the p. The little girl giggled.

"You're pretty" she said, still staring at Draco. He had been taking a sip of water, and it sprayed out of his mouth at her comment, leaving a puddle on the table that he waved away with his wand.

"Men aren't pretty" he said somewhat disdainfully, and then looked up to where Astoria was barely holding in a laugh.

"Apparently you are." Astoria replied, smiling at him. There was no second guessing, and no over thought remarks. The more time Astoria spent with Draco, the more natural it really seemed. Draco sighed, and then shifted Angeline into Astoria's arms as well, before scooping Natalie onto his lap.

"Men are handsome. Women are pretty. Like Astoria, she's very pretty isn't she?" As Draco pointed her out to Natalie, Astoria felt herself blush. Natalie pouted, and crossed her arms.

"You know who else is very pretty Draco?" Astoria asked with a pointed stare towards Natalie. Draco got the hint, absentmindedly patting Natalie on the head.

"Oh Natalie isn't just pretty, she's beautiful. She looks like a princess." The girl giggled, and then surveyed Astoria with wide eyes.

"Why is he named dragon?" Astoria bit her lip to keep from laughing, and Draco looked significantly less charmed by the confused-looking Natalie.

"Draco, darling, not Dragon." Astoria reprimanded, unable to keep the smile from her face.

"I like Dragon better. Will you marry me Dragon? I love you a whole lot and I'm supposed to marry someone pre, umm, handsome." Draco was saved from having to respond by their mother, who caught Natalie's eye as she exited the restroom.

She immediately jumped off Draco's lap and ran to greet her mother, who eagerly scooped her up for a hug before setting her down. She then came back for the twins, picking them up just as the waitress arrived.

"Thank you so much, both of you, now I'll be on my way." Astoria saw the harried look the woman gave her kids, and offered

"If you ever need anyone to watch them, you can owl me. I'm Astoria Greengrass, I'll be training to be a Healer soon and I love children." Astoria handed the woman her address, written on a spare bit of parchment she was lucky enough to have in her pocket.

"There's a girl down the street who watches them for me dear, but I'll be sure to write if something comes up." With that and a smile the woman left, taking her brood with her. Then, suddenly, Astoria was alone with Draco, save the waitress.

"Here you are. One fire-whiskey and one butterbeer." She set their drinks down and marched off, and Astoria was left looking somewhat awkwardly at her drink.

"I'm sure it's not poisoned, but I can check if you'd like." Astoria looked up to meet his eyes, and saw that he was already reaching for her glass. She grabbed it before he could, and took a hearty, and very unladylike, gulp.

"Hmm, seems just fine to me." she grinned. He raised an eyebrow as if to say touché, before leaning in.

"How long am I supposed to pretend not to notice that every bloke in here is staring at you?" She could tell he was joking, but it still made her look around. She made eye contact with a weary-looking man, an old man, and a boy who looked like he was in the middle of his schooling. She turned back to face him with a frown.

"All these years and I never noticed" she pretended to be upset.

"Well, when you go off and marry Natalie I guess I know where to start looking." She sighed, but couldn't keep a teasing grin off of her face. Their banter continued until the waitress brought their food, throughout their meal, and right to the door. As he held the door for her, Astoria met his eyes again. Without thinking she said

"I was hoping, if you wouldn't mind, that you could," he cut her off, grinning.

"Why don't we go for a walk, since it is a nice day?" She knew she was caught, but rather than get upset she simply started walking. He caught up to her quickly and, seemingly without thinking, he put an arm around her. She reciprocated, and he pulled her closer. If she'd looked at his face, she would have seen a small, but very real, smile.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

When Astoria finally got home, she was literally humming with happiness. She almost missed Apollo, until he cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at her. She quickly sat down at the table, quieting but unable to keep herself from smiling.

Astoria marveled at her brother, two years into his season with no plans of settling down. He still went to see every new girl being presented, and hadn't gone out with very many of them. She knew it wasn't a status thing on his part; he simply didn't like any of them. She faintly hoped he would at least show interest soon enough, before he earned himself a reputation. Still, she kind of admired her brother for it. Nobody could say he wasn't enjoying himself.

"Who is he?" Astoria was startled out of her thoughts, and then confused by the question.

"Who is who?" she asked. Had she been speaking aloud? Apollo gave her a knowing look, before shrugging.

"This bloke you're all hung up about?" Apollo smirked at her knowingly. Astoria shook her head at him, before standing.

"Well, whoever he is, he's certainly not a girl, which is who you should be worried about. Have you even met a girl you sort-of like yet? I know two years isn't that long, but you've only even had the one dinner, and that girl was a horror. Or whore, whichever you'd prefer." Apollo leaned back in his chair.

"All the girls in London are boring, they all tell the same story. I went to Hogwarts, I was in Slytherin, maybe Ravenclaw, I love money, and I'm so beautiful. Honestly, if I could meet one woman with a personality I might marry her on the spot."

"Penelope had plenty of, well, personality, and in that dress it was on display for you all night." Astoria giggled and stuck her tongue out, remembering how she teased Apollo as a child. He seemed to take it in stride, shaking his head at her.

"Ah, to be a child again" he jeered, causing her to roll her eyes. She stood then, kissing him on the cheek before going up to her room. She could admit that she was a bit hung up about Draco Malfoy. He hadn't complained about the interruption of Natalie and the babies, and he had to be the most charming person she'd ever met. When he'd kissed her good-bye, and it was certainly more of a kiss than she'd gotten from even Maggiore, she was kissing back before she even realized. No, she definitely was fond of Draco Malfoy, and it was all she could do to hope that he felt the same.


	8. Chapter Seven

A/N: You're not allowed to hate me. You're not. This wouldn't be much of a story if everything was easy peasy. As usual, this will be up as soon as I finish the next chapter. Puerto Rico was amazing and inspirational. Expect Chapter 8 by the 28th which, coincidentally, is my birthday!

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Draco Malfoy was on top of the world as he made his way back. He could still feel Astoria's lips on his, and he'd have worried he was way too forward if he hadn't felt how eagerly she'd kissed back. It was only when he had already gotten home that he began to see things a bit more clearly.

He remembered the look on the woman's face when she took in his features. Before everything had started, people looked at him with envy. It wasn't the sort of thing someone forgot, having even grown adults look like they'd rather be him. It was a wretched to go from that to murderous glares in the span of a few years.

Wherever he went, people avoided him. Everyone in his father's closest circle was in Azkaban, including some of his old school friends. Some of them had come to see the whole thing as being as stupid and pointless as Draco did, others weren't deterred. From the purebloods that weren't currently rotting in a cell, Draco was constantly receiving the same message. "It gets better" and "wealth is still wealth" and "in a matter of years they'll forget."

He knew it was true. This time, there was no doubt to be had that Voldemort was dead at the hands of Harry Potter. Draco knew if he was a better man he'd be able to admit exactly how much of his life he owed to Potter, which was all of it and then some. In fact, if his mother hadn't been willing to put everything on the line for their family, things would have turned out entirely differently. He'd be sharing a cell in Azkaban with his father, sick to his stomach with worry about his mother. But, he doubted he'd ever actually thank Potter face to face.

In the meantime, he had to live with public hatred. With people moving away in the street to be farther away from him. He had to live with people calling for his arrest, including former schoolmates, people he or his friends had picked on. He didn't exactly regret his actions, but if he could do it again he would have agreed with his mother when she said they had to leave England and go far, far away.

But now, there was a new nightmare to add to the reality that was his everyday life. He pictured Astoria at his side, and then he pictured the whispers of hatred. He pictured people shunning her wherever she went, even when she was alone, just because she had his name. He pictured a little boy just as blonde as himself, asking Astoria why people turned away from them in the street. Maybe if he still believed what he'd done was right, maybe he'd be able to deal with it. But he was wrong. Even if he hadn't already believed by the time he saw what Voldemort really was, by the time he was almost killed by the people he'd wanted to trust, he certainly believed it then. He could even admit, never out loud and only in a moment of particular weakness, that he'd been a fool to underestimate several of his classmates because of his perceived superiority. Bringing her into that, and into the guilt he had to live with every day, it sickened him.

He wasn't used to caring about someone besides his parents and himself. He'd thought he loved Pansy who, last he'd heard, was engaged. But he hadn't. He didn't think he loved Astoria, and yet he already cared a great deal more about her than he had about Pansy Parkinson even at the height of their relationship. Normally, if he wanted it he'd take it. He certainly wanted her more than anything he'd wanted in a long time. But he wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't good for her. For some reason, that really mattered to him.

He wished there was a way he could undo what he'd done. If there was a way for him to go back and right his wrongs, he would. But he could only deal in the here and the now. He knew that before he could even attempt to court her he would have to come up with a solution that would, at the very least, begin to make up for everything that had happened. And suddenly, he had one.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Lucius decided he was going to have to stop Draco from seeing this girl unattended if he came home in a mood every time. At first, Draco had been downright pleasant, almost smiling. Then, as the day progressed, he started pacing, worried. Eventually he threw himself into a chair in his father's office.

"I'm leaving London." Did Lucius take him seriously? Of course not. Many times Narcissa had made him feel exactly the same way, and he'd never made it past the front gate. However, he felt it was best to at least hear Draco's self-pitying tirade.

"What did she do?" he asked, leaning back in his own chair. Draco started shaking his head immediately.

"She, unfortunately, did nothing. She never does anything. She's never done anything, she's just perfect and I'm - People don't trust me with children for heaven's sake. She almost got a hole burned in her skull from the eyes of a woman who seemed perfectly comfortable with Astoria until she found out Astoria was with me." A small part of Draco took the time to marvel at the fact that she had been with him at all. Unfortunately the rest of him ruined it by reminding him to keep on task.

"I don't want to feel like I'm ruining her life." Lucius shrugged. The girl was a pureblood, simple as that. Her family may have been less involved, but they were on the same side. They knew what they were getting themselves into. And, he knew her mother and father would probably be more than pleased for their daughter to become a Malfoy.

"Well, I'm sorry you were born a Malfoy, but as I'm not in a mind to disown you I suppose we've reached an impasse." Lucius shrugged, leaning back in his chair. Even if Draco hadn't heard the sarcasm dripping from his dad's voice, he couldn't have missed the smirk.

"I think I know how I can fix this." Now Lucius was intrigued. It seemed he'd once again misjudged his sons' intentions.

"Go on." He inclined his head towards his son, giving him full attention.

"Do you remember when, right before my fourth year, when people were suspicious about our family? Remember, you donated almost a third of mother's family's vault to Mungo's?" Lucius could not fathom where this was going, but he nodded all the same.

"I want to go work in one of the orphanages where they sent war victims." Lucius scoffed, clearly this wasn't going anywhere.

"What, exactly, would that do? There aren't many wizard orphanages in Britain, and many of them might not take you after our, predicament." He didn't mean to sneer, but the idea was ridiculous.

"Not here, not in Britain, but somewhere else. Even if it we did nothing to publicize this it would get a lot of press that I was gone. Someone would ask you why, and it would end up in the papers. We could say I would rather not disclose where, but you could "bother" me for some pictures to prove it was legitimate. Volunteers sign on a yearly basis. After a year, everything would just die down."

"Are you even good with children?" Lucius couldn't remember ever subjecting Draco to infants. Lucius had been an only child, his father's brother had never spawned, and it wasn't as though Bellatrix had ever had children. From the way Draco avoided his father's eyes, it was clear that Draco hadn't thought his plan through very well.

"If you really want to leave, we're going to think this through as a family." Lucius sighed. In his opinion Draco would be better off telling the girl his side of events and letting both of them move on. It wasn't as though she would never understand. Still, it wasn't his choice. Perhaps living somewhere else would teach Draco a thing or two about life.

Predictably, Narcissa was even less sold on the idea. Unknown to either of the men she was already planning for how the wedding would go, at least the things she felt were absolutely necessary. It wasn't that she wanted to rush Draco into marrying Astoria, but at least she was sure that there was hope he'd be marrying somebody. She certainly had her money on Astoria.

"But where would you go?" Narcissa asked. Her plan was to poke as many holes in his plan as possible.

"To France. I'll go to France. I'll choose one where the climate is more like England's. Mother, you know I'm better off leaving, you just don't want me to." Draco looked into his mother's eyes and tried to make himself look as sad as possible. It was a tactic he'd used since he was old enough to plead, and he was very good at it.

"Well, where, that's not a plan, that's a, Draco I don't want you to go anywhere." Narcissa crossed her arms, her tone icing out. She was no longer Draco's mother, she was the Narcissa Black that got her way. Unfortunately for her, Draco had learned from the best.

"Mother, I am going to find an orphanage in France, and I am going to sign to work there for a year. I will begin making the plans now that I know I have your full support." With that they both turned to look at Lucius. He sat, smirk on his face, before staring into his wife's eyes.

"It is his life Narcissa" he said, earning him a hateful glare. As an angry Narcissa stormed away Lucius turned to face Draco.

"You had better be damn sure about this for us to both face that anger." With that Lucius Malfoy left and the matter was decided. Draco Malfoy was leaving England.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

When Astoria got the letter from Draco inviting her to his manor, she was a bit confused, which is not to say that she wasn't excited. At first she foolishly thought it might proposal, but it wasn't an invitation for her family, just her. Besides, although she felt a connection with him, she'd admit she didn't know him terribly well. A proposal would be frightening more than anything. She dressed up all the same, and before she knew it she was nervously being let into his manor.

"Hello" she hadn't seen him walk around the corner. After the house elf had led her to sit in their front parlor, she'd busied herself by looking around. She jumped at the sound of his voice, spinning to see him. The nervous look on his face made her uncomfortable.

"Hello." She replied, biting her lip. She didn't hear anything that would make her think his parents were around. Draco approached her, holding a hand out to her. She took it, and quietly, stoically, he led her away from the sitting room and to what looked like a private dining room.

"Would you like anything?" Draco asked. Astoria didn't reply, taking a seat while still staring him down. There was an awkward pause, before her brain and her mouth seemed to reconnect.

"Is something wrong?" Immediately she pictured his mother ill, his father on a death bed, and then even worse. She pictured him with some other, far more attractive and vivacious woman, a ring on his finger. The longer he didn't respond, the more she tormented herself. On the outside she remained calm, her expression conveying nearly no emotion. Finally he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm, er, going on a trip of sorts." Astoria tilted her head, confusion crossing her face. She doubted that all the formality was because he was taking a vacation.

"Of sorts?" He seemed to startle at the sound of her voice.

"I'm working at an orphanage. In France. For a year." Immediately Astoria relaxed. That was all? She smiled then, standing up and moving closer to him.

"That's wonderful! When do you …" The implications of his words washed over her.

"You're leaving for a year?" She stopped just short of him, a crease forming in her forehead. Draco stepped back sheepishly, guilt temporarily breaking through his mask.

"Will you, when are you leaving?" Astoria wanted to know how much time she had. Of course she'd be leaving soon for Bulgaria, but perhaps when she got back she could visit before he left.

"A week." His tone was colder than she'd ever heard him. If she was being honest, he was frightening her a bit.

"Oh, I'll be in Bulgaria. I'm visiting with friends, for my birthday. I could come visit you before Healer training starts –"

" – It's against the law. You can't come to the orphanage because it's not safe for the kids." Astoria raised herself to her full height. Of course his brusque tone was hurtful, but she wouldn't quip back. Whatever he was doing couldn't be her fault, she was fairly sure.

"I'll write." She said, sending him a stiff smile. She was just a bit hurt and more than a bit confused, but she didn't have to show it. She turned then, twisting her way back through the house to the front hall. The Malfoy's house elf handed her back her cloak, which she fastened before walking towards the door. She wasn't even aware that Draco had followed her until he stood in front of the door, blocking her way.

"I'll write you when I get to the orphanage, when I get settled in. You can tell me all about Bulgaria." It was the most human he'd sounded the whole day, and it made her relax just slightly.

"Well, goodbye then." Astoria sighed, looking up at him. To her surprise he swiftly leant down and wrapped his arms firmly around her, drawing her close as if he never wanted her to leave. She rested her hands against his chest, leaning into him even further. They stayed like that almost longer than Astoria could bear. As she stepped back, he stepped forward, pulling her closer still. They stayed like that for a few more seconds until she started to pull away.

Without warning he leaned down and kissed her. It wasn't a particularly gentle or romantic kiss, slightly sloppy because he'd taken her by surprise, but it was still undoubtedly the best kiss she'd even gotten. He pulled away before she did, resting his head on top of hers so that she couldn't see his expression. He took a moment, and when he pulled back the mask was firmly in place. He opened the door then, and she dutifully stepped out before apparating away. She hated how it felt like he was letting her go.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Of course, Astoria had plenty of other things to focus on. The morning of her trip to Bulgaria she packed herself up, shrinking her bags and placing them securely in her pocket. She then went down to her front hall. The fireplace was rarely used, but her mother insisted that if they were going through international floo, they needed to use the nicest fireplace. She wanted to say it was extravagant, but she secretly agreed.

Anya had told them to meet at one home, rather than make separate arrangements. She was hardly surprised to see Nicole already there. However, she was caught off guard to see Apollo sitting half-dressed and laughing with her. The last few times Nicole and Apollo had met, they hadn't gotten along at all.

"Good morning" She beamed, preparing herself. She wasn't disappointed. As soon as Nicole saw Astoria, the curly haired brunette screamed, running across the way and launching herself at her friend.

"I missed you loads Astoria, how've you been? I have so many things I have to talk to you about! I met this guy, right, and he was just so, ugh! I mean, yeah he was cute, but he was such an ass. The states have been getting boring lately, well, the ones I've been in. I don't much like Southern wizards; they all do that whole pureblood bull. Then wizards on the west coast are practically muggles. So I've been going up and down the east coast, not straying too far from Salem's and Merlin's. I think I want to meet some Bulgarian wizards now while I can enjoy them. Plus, I think Anya's dad knows Krum too, so that'll be fun! I haven't seen Viktor in years."

"Viktor Krum?" It was Apollo, not Astoria, that spoke. His eyes lit up, so Astoria left the two of them to discuss Quidditch. She knew that it was one of Nicole's favorite things to talk about, and she wasn't quite sure she was awake enough to handle Nicole's endless stream of consciousness.

While Anya's family was loaded because her dad was an ambassador in the Bulgarian Ministry, Nicole led a much more glamorous life. Her father had played Quidditch for team Spain for fourteen years before settling down and marrying her mother, who had been a model for Witch Weekly France. He still coached Quidditch, and as a result Nicole knew more about the industry than even some of the hard core fans.

"Nicole!" Astoria nearly screamed herself at the sound. The only person who could out scream Nicole was Daphne, and her cousin was definitely giving as good as she got.

"Daphne!" The two really were very similar, Astoria decided as she watched them. Nicole was telling her story to Daphne, and Astoria could tell that Daphne was being much more responsive than she had. Watching them interact she didn't notice Chloe enter the room until her friend tapped her on the shoulder.

Startled, Astoria whirled around, only to see Chloe's grinning face.

"Bonjour!" Chloe greeted cheerfully. She always laughed at the fact that her friends were not morning people. Chloe could barely stay up past ten without some sort of help, but she'd been known to casually hop out of bed as early as five.

"Can you believe the perks of being an ambassador? Maybe I should become an ambassador for the French Ministry. They almost never open international floo from someone's home to someone's home." Astoria silently agreed. This was the going to be her easiest travel yet. She was starting to get excited despite herself, now that she'd seen Nicole. She couldn't wait to see Anya.

"How've you been Nicole?" Chloe called, distracting Nicole from the conversation. She immediately left Daphne's side to hug Chloe.

"Oh, je suis magnifique!" She cooed, throwing her arms around her friend. Chloe laughed in response, before hugging back.

"That's good to hear. How's America been?" As Nicole once again launched into her story, Astoria wandered over to her brother.

"You're not going to miss me too much are you?" she joked, poking him.

"Miss you? Are you sure you can't be gone longer than two weeks? I think you'll find Bulgaria quite lovely, you might want to move there." Astoria stuck her tongue out at him, and then slapped the back of his head before running away. He moved to chase her, but he was stopped by the sight of their fireplace lighting up green.

"Hello. I am Arnold McArthur, English ambassador to Bulgaria. Are you all Ambassador Ivan's guests?" The man was tall, with tired looking eyes. He surveyed them all warily, and everyone nodded. Behind her, Astoria heard Apollo quickly shuffle back out of the room.

"Very well. I will be sending you all one by one. The ambassador has requested that you all be allowed to floo directly to his home, a request which has been approved. First may I have," He paused, pulling a sheet of parchment from his front pocket.

"Nicole Medina?" Nicole stepped forward, fluffing her hair and smiling at the man. He seemed less than impressed, not that Astoria could blame him. Taking care of a group of young adults was probably not in his job description.

"Is your luggage properly shrunken?" The man asked, to which Nicole merely nodded. He held out a hand to her and escorted her into the fireplace. Then, stepping in with her he said

"Ambassador Ivan Yorgova. Ivaylo Place, Bulgaria." He threw down the powder, and they both disappeared. More than a few moments later he reappeared sans Nicole, and stepped out once more.

"Chloe Neuvillette. Is your luggage properly shrunken?" Chloe rolled her eyes before stepping into the fireplace. The man sighed, before getting in next to her.

"Ambassador Ivan Yorgova. Ivaylo Place, Bulgaria." One again they disappeared, and he reappeared later. Astoria wondered how quickly the trip was, considering the distance. She didn't have to long to ponder however, as the next name he called was

"Astoria Greengrass." She smiled, stepping forward.

"I shrank my luggage properly, Ambassador." She said, before he could ask. She let him escort her into the fireplace, and waved goodbye to Daphne right as he repeated the address. To her surprise and slight disappointment, it was just like regular floo if a bit longer. When she arrived, she was immediately yanked out of the fireplace by a set of familiar arms.

"Hello Anya."


	9. Chapter Eight

**A/N:** To be honest, this chapter was a terrible pain to write, and I'm not really entirely happy about how it turned out. As you read this, just know that I am currently sitting in a Starbucks, because I don't have internet at home. I hope you appreciate this. I don't even drink coffee and I'm broke but I shelled out the cash. For you. Hahahahahaha. Still, I wish this Chapter was better, but I'm tired of fussing with it. The next time you read something I write, which should be by the 11th, I will be an official 18 year old, adult. :D

* * *

Anya Yorgova was the only one of Astoria's friends who was in an arranged marriage. She'd spoken about this marriage from fourth year, when she couldn't believe her French friends could choose their husbands, throughout their friendship. However, seeing the ring on Anya's finger made it all the more real for Astoria.

"How have you been darling?" Anya responded, oblivious to Astoria's shock. Behind her the fireplace roared to life, and a beaming Daphne stepped out.

"Anya, you're engaged?" Was the first thing out of Daphne's mouth. The Ambassador quietly excused himself as Anya's smile grew impossibly wider.

"I forgot you wouldn't know Daphne. I've technically been engaged since I was twelve. My father doesn't want me to get married until I'm twenty-four, so I won't. But he let Iordan get me a ring now that we've graduated. You're looking at the eventual Mrs. Iordan Momchev." As Anya held out her hand, the girls crowded around her to stare at the ring. It was a beautiful ring, Astoria decided. The band was made of silver, and in the center was a beautiful sapphire, surrounded by tiny diamonds that sparkled when they caught the light.

"Miss Yorgova, allow me to escort you and your friends to where you'll be staying?" The girls turned at the sound of the voice.

"Oh! Everyone, this is Toma. He's my security now that I'm of age. Come on, let's go." Anya set off after him, and everyone else was quick to do the same. As the girls walked, they couldn't help looking around in excitement. The room that they'd entered from was clearly meant for meetings, as aside from the fireplace it had only a long rounded table. However, as they left the room, everything immediately brightened. There were walls and walls of windows, beautifully set up so that the light poured in. Everything in the hallways seemed to glow from the light. The group moved down rows and rows of hallways, and as they moved Astoria wondered where any of the rooms were.

Of course, her question was answered when they stopped, finally, in front of a blank wall. Toma pulled out his wand, tapped the wall twice, and said

"Toma Zlatanov. Anya Yorgova, and guests." Immediately the wall fell away to reveal another wing of the house. However, this wing was more normal, with doors and furniture lining the walkway. Immediately Anya walked through, however Toma held up a hand to stop the rest of the girls.

"Do not try to walk through unless the person escorting you has mentioned guests. Otherwise, you will find yourselves very painfully immobilized and then questioned by a member of security. Enjoy your visit." With that he ushered the girls through, the wall sealing behind them.

"Welcome home ladies!" Anya beamed.

"This is the wing my siblings and I live in. Well, most of us. Marko lives in the wing with my father and mother and his wife Nadia. Let me show you your rooms." Anya walked past the first four rooms and made a right. The next hallway had three more rooms.

"This one is my room." Anya opened the door, revealing a beautiful room that was as yellow as could be. Everything was yellow: The carpet, the bedspread, the walls, even the wood furniture had a slightly yellow hue. It fit Anya perfectly.

"I told Papa you should all have your own room, but we don't know when foreign dignitaries might come to visit and apparently those children are more important than my friends. So, it's two to a room." Astoria had already resigned herself to sharing a room with her cousin, but she needn't have bothered. The second Anya opened the door to the next room, which was adorned in white and pink, Daphne and Nicole raced in. It was clear that they would share.

Chloe and Astoria's room was a light powder blue, much more understated than the other room. Out the window Astoria could see the nearby town, which Anya had assured them was the Bulgarian version of Grâce à la Serrure, the French version of Diagon Alley. Anya helped the girls settle in, before asking them what they wanted to do. The unanimous vote was sightseeing.

Hours later, Astoria had adjusted to Toma accompanying them everywhere. She was focused on much more pressing matters, such as the beauty of Bulgaria. Although she'd known it was going to be gorgeous, Astoria hadn't quite been prepared for how lovely Bulgaria would be. So far they'd toured the scenic places. Anya had insisted they saved магьосник пробег (Wizard Run) for its own day, so by the time the girls made it back for dinner they were exhausted and tanned from their travels.

"How are you enjoying your stay?" The girls were used to seeing Anya's mother, who always accompanied her to school. Mrs. Yorgova was a very relaxed, happy woman.

"This country is so lovely, Madame." Chloe was first to speak, beaming. Around the table, everyone was having their own little conversations. Anya's eldest brother Marko and his wife Nadia were clearly in their own little world. On their way back Anya had showed the girls where Marko and Nadia were going to move once construction was finished.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourselves." She responded.

"Papa, I want my friends to come visit." Anya's only sister, Lilyana, had much lighter hair and fairer skin than Anya. With her curly hair, she looked like a little doll and acted like a little brat.

"Maybe when you've finished school Lilyana." Astoria had never met Anya's father before, as he was always busy with something official. She knew eventually he was supposed to be traveling with the Minister and many other officials to oversee preparations for the World Cup. He was home for the moment though, and so far Astoria had learned that he took parenting very seriously.

"I'm about to be in fourth year, I'm practically an adult already." Lilyana whined. Of the two girls, Lilyana was definitely the most spoiled. Astoria remembered how upset Anya was when Lilyana got to go to Beauxbatons in her second year instead of her fourth.

"No you're not!" Astoria knew almost nothing about Anya's brothers. They all went to Durmstrang, and this was the first time she was seeing them. If she hadn't been told Stefan was younger than Anya, she wouldn't have believed it. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and already looked almost as old as Andrei, the boy between Marko and Anya.

"Papa." It seemed everyone except Anya and Marko was trying to get their father's attention. While Stefan and Lilyana bickered, Andrei had clearly decided to steal his chance.

"Papa, Ludmila doesn't want to wait to get married. We already know we're going to get married. Can't we just get it over with?" As the girls had wandered around exploring, Anya had told them all about Ludmila. Apparently she was pushy and mean, and Anya didn't like her at all. Andrei, however, was over the moon about his fiancée and had been trying to move things up since he'd graduated, to no avail.

"I don't ever want to get married." Anya's youngest brother, Grigor, had just barely turned twelve two months ago. As everyone had waited for dinner, Grigor had told all of his exciting stories from his first year at Durmstrang. Astoria could just remember how excited she was coming out of her first year of school. It felt like such a long time ago, but at the same time it felt like the day before.

Eventually the meal had come to an end. Marko and Nadia had barely spoken a word to anyone else, Andrei had not succeeded in moving up his wedding, Lilyana was not able to bring her friends to Bulgaria, and Grigor was not released from his marriage obligations. Overall, it had been the liveliest dinner Astoria had ever been to. When the girls finally went to bed, Astoria eagerly anticipated the next day.

Over the next two days, the girls became very intimately acquainted with Wizard Run. It had appeared small from Astoria's window, but she found out it was actually quite large. It seemed to twist and turn into itself, as if it had been built as a maze. There were more specialty shops there than Astoria had ever seen, and Anya took care to caution the girls that many of the things available for purchase were illegal in other countries. When they went to bed at the end of the second day, Anya promised the girls a surprise. Astoria fell asleep wondering if it was possible that they hadn't finished exploring Wizard Run.

The next day the girls got up fairly early, getting dressed and making their way out with Toma before any of Anya's siblings were awake. To their surprise, they were accompanied as well by Anya's father. They were led to the room in which they'd arrived, and one by one they were told to floo to the Anevo Fortress.

At first when Astoria arrived, all she saw was darkness. However, when Toma arrived after her he reached around and pushed open a door. Immediately Astoria, Chloe, and Daphne burst out of the room. Toma apologized, stating that someone must have forgotten that they were visiting, however at that point nobody was listening. The girls were currently on the ground floor of a massive stadium. Astoria barely even noticed as one by one Anya, Nicole, and Anya's father joined them. She did notice, however, when they started to make their way onto the pitch.

"Welcome to the home of the Bulgarian Nation Team!" It was the most excited Astoria had ever seen Anya's father. However, his excitement doubled when across the pitch ten scarlet figures emerged, brooms in hand.

"Let's go." He said. The girls immediately made their way after him, as he led them to their seats. It was a long climb to the box, but as soon as Astoria saw the view she realized it was worth it. Her father hadn't purchased tickets to the '94 World Cup in time, something which turned out to be a blessing. Understandably, the '98 World Cup had been postponed. Finally, two years later, it was happening. Astoria was thrilled. She'd seen school Quidditch, she'd even seen the Italian team play when she went out with Maggiore, however this was the closest she'd gotten to a team with a good chance of winning. One look at them and she understood why. They looked flawless. All they were doing was running drills, but they were the most cohesive unit of players she'd ever seen.

When the team had finally finished practicing and touched down to huddle, Astoria figured they were done. Nobody stood to leave though, so she occupied herself by speaking with Chloe. She was pleasantly surprised when, after leaving their changing room, the players flew up to the box. As she conversed with the players, Astoria learned more about team Bulgaria than she'd needed to know. However, she was generally having a nice time getting to know them. The two youngest players were of course the famous Viktor Krum and Bulgaria's new Keeper Naum Karev. Although she'd had a nice conversation with Naum, she had barely shared two words with Krum. From the second he and Chloe had started speaking, their conversation had taken on a life of its own. Even Nicole, who was doing her best to flirt with every single male player on the team, had made absolutely no headway with Krum. In fact, when the players finally left, the only other people he'd really spoken to were Anya and her father. As soon as the ambassador was out of earshot the girls immediately began peppering Chloe with questions.

"What was that?" Nicole started them off, the most eager to know. It wasn't often her friends did anything too scandalous involving men.

"What was what?" Chloe didn't look like she was playing, she seemed genuinely confused.

"You and Krum." Even Daphne could put aside differences for the sake of good gossip.

"What about me and Krum? He was nice. Really serious, but still fun to talk to."

"Well it's not like any of us would know, you monopolized the conversation." Nicole quipped. Astoria privately thought Nicole sounded just the slightest bit sore.

"You did talk for a long time," Astoria teased, but Chloe brushed them all off.

"I'm positively starving." Chloe said. She promptly moved forward and began a conversation with the ambassador, effectively ending the girls' inquisition.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

For Astoria's birthday, Anya had promised the girls that they would be partying in style. That morning, Astoria woke up to all of her friends surprising her by yanking her out of bed. She supposed she deserved it, after all that was how they surprised all of the girls on their school-year birthdays.

After presents were handed out, Anya revealed their plans for the day. She had wanted to throw a large party with everyone the girls knew from Beauxbatons, but as that wasn't possible she'd instead planned a party with her Bulgarian friends. The girls spent the morning in Wizard Run, looking around for birthday outfits. Then, they all got ready together. For Astoria, it was like being back at school relaxing with her friends.

Everyone insisted on Astoria entering the party last, so she stood outside the door with Toma as everyone else went in. When he'd finally decided she'd waited long enough, he let her into the room. Astoria was shocked. She'd expected a small gathering of a few people, but the room was absolutely full.

"Happy Birthday Astoria" the room chorused. She beamed as her friends raced forward to hug her.

"Come meet people!" Anya grabbed Astoria's hand and immediately dragged her around. She stopped in front of a tall man who smiled a bit stiffly.

"This is Iordan, my fiancée. Iordan this is Astoria, the last of my best friends." Astoria held in a laugh as he extended a hand for her to shake. He seemed a lot more formal than Anya, and already looked slightly uncomfortable in the party setting. But when he put his arms around Anya and leaned down to kiss her head, Astoria decided she liked him for her friend.

As Astoria mingled, she found herself wondering whether Draco had gotten settled into the orphanage yet. Of course, there were plenty of exciting people to meet and things to see that quickly distracted her from the thought. About an hour in the younger members of the Quidditch team arrived. They all came over to wish Astoria a happy birthday, before going their separate ways. Astoria stayed by Chloe as once again she and Krum entered into a deep conversation. Astoria was surprised by how charming he actually was. She'd gotten the impression from Nicole that most professional Quidditch players weren't terribly bright, but he seemed fairly intelligent. In fact, Quidditch only came up in the conversation when the occasional guest came to ask him for an autograph.

Eventually Astoria felt like she was intruding rather than contributing to their conversation, so she went in search of Anya once more. On her way, she saw that Nicole had evidently chosen Naum Karev as her next beau, as the two of them were getting comfortable in a private corner. Meanwhile, Daphne was speaking to a man who Anya had identified as the son of the editor of Witch Weekly Bulgaria. No doubt he was telling her what a fantastic model she'd make. Astoria's attention was drawn as someone came up and asked her for a dance.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

The girls' remaining time in Bulgaria was spent accompanying Anya to all sorts of events she participated in for her father. Everything from ribbon cuttings to meetings to dinner with the families of young girls who might be a suitable match for Grigor seemed to require their presence. When it finally came time to leave, Astoria found that she would miss Bulgaria very much. However, she thought Chloe might miss it most of all, as she and Krum said goodbye the night before the girls' departure.

The second Astoria got settled back in to her home, she began to search for any missed mail. There was nothing to find though, so she resigned herself to playing the waiting game.


	10. Chapter Nine

**A/N: **This is the longest single chapter I have ever written. It is not absolutely essential to the story for you to read it all, but I think you'll want to. This is going to be the meat of the relationship. It reads fairly quickly, I promise. Plus, there's a lot of juicy details about the lives of several more minor characters including Apollo. Still, I know long chapters are not some people's cup of tea, so I am sorry for those of you who don't want to make your way through all of this. I just need you to know though, that this was a labor of love. I love this chapter, enough that I was terrified to post it. I hope you will too.

Edit: Imagine my surprise when I upload this, TWICE, and both times the cross-outs don't work. This time I've taken the liberty of putting them in parentheses. If the cross out feature still doesn't work, just know that the things in parentheses are crossed out and therefore are not readable to the other person. Also. If you want more info on anything that doesn't get explained, just message me. Happy reading :D

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August 5th

_Nobody told me how much children vomit. But they do vomit. A lot. They've put me in here with the babies, since it doesn't matter how well I speak French with them. They do have hope that I'll learn though. I've told them I have a good friend to learn from._

_I had never heard of the orphanage I'm at. And I wouldn't have imagined being here even if I had. It's in a muggle town, which will be an adjustment I guess. Not quite used to them, but they do donate a lot of food to the orphanage, even though they don't know the true nature of the kids. Still can't help not liking them._

_The baby boys don't seem to like me, especially this one round little tosser that insists on throwing his rattle at my head. He hasn't missed yet, not even once. I suspect he'll be a decent chaser when he gets older. The girls I like better, even though they tend to cry more. Is that just a fact of life then, girls are more prone to wailing? Not that you wail._

_How are you? It's been a whole month, sorry, I know I said I'd write when I got settled, but a lot of kids were orphaned during the war apparently. I feel extremely guilty, I must admit. How was Bulgaria? Did you meet anyone worth knowing? I knew Krum back in my school days, and I was friends with a couple others before we were sent off to different schools. Shit. Someone's crying, and I bet it's that wanker of a boy. It's 3 in the bloody morning, but he never shuts up, always waking the others up and…shit. There go the others. Write back soon._

_Draco Malfoy._

August 11th

_ Here's hoping you don't swear at the babies. Honestly, only you could be threatened by a tiny baby boy. Remember Angelus and Angeline and Natalie? Their mother occasionally writes, apparently you charmed the socks off that three-year old. Although, she still calls you dragon, so there. If you want them to sleep through the night, you should try singing to them before they go to sleep. Although, come to think of it I've never heard you sing. Maybe you should have someone else do it._

_ Bulgaria was nice, if not a bit cold. Krum seems to have taken a fancy to Chloe, you should see them, it's quite ridiculous. He's "vacationing in England" to "visit old friends" but they spend all of their time together. If it wasn't, well, Chloe, I'd feel bad for him. Wait, no. Sorry, Chloe is my friend, very rambunctious. She's sort of a handful, forgot you hadn't met her. You should some time, she lives in Paris, maybe she knows where you are. Then again, maybe I shouldn't do that to you, you might not be the same ever again. _

_ Honestly, if he's such a 'tosser' you shouldn't complain, you'd get along just fine. Only joking of course, although, now that I think about it, I can imagine that you were a right prat as a child. Hmm, maybe I'll pay your mother and father a visit, although I get the feeling your father isn't terribly fond of me. _

_ I start healer training on the 23__rd__, so if you can, write back before then. Or not. Not that I'm trying to make you write back. You don't have to or anything. And good luck with the kids, I'm sure you've got half the female staff at the orphanage swooning by now. _

_ Astoria Greengrass_

August 20th

_I actually have a good excuse for the delay, and it's something the muggles call the terrible two's. I thought, when I was being told to move up, that I was being promoted. I was actually being, if anything, demoted. These kids are all bonkers, absolutely mad. They have a secret reserve of energy, so that just when you think they're tired, they surprise you by being, well, wide awake. They throw tantrums when they don't get their way, and they haven't even heard of the concept of sharing. I currently have no less than three of them clinging to my legs as I write this, and I am seriously considering coming home._

_ Chloe was lovely, although I hadn't imagined you'd actually send her a letter. Kind of makes me wonder if I should alert my parents to your arrival. Of course, by now my mum probably has you sit in to tea every day to talk. I'd apologize but I know she can't help herself. I couldn't if I were her. _

_ Chloe wrote me a letter with a long string of words in French I pretended to understand. Apparently it wasn't good because nobody here will translate for me, so I daren't ask the kids what it means. Honestly, my French has gotten a lot better thanks to these bratty children, and your Chloe has promised to help me. I think it's Krum you have to watch out for, he seems to have charmed your poor friend right off her broom. Don't get it really, he's not very attractive is he? I rather think I'm better looking, even if I do say so myself. The children all seem to think I'm good looking at any rate._

_Speaking of which, some of them already show signs of magic. It's quite neat actually. One made his toy broom go shooting out the window and managed to hover there without getting hurt, until he fell. I suppose I deserved the scolding I got for that, but I did catch him, so being put back on the night shift was kind of unfair. That singing thing worked, and I have a lovely voice thank you. _

_ How is England, does it miss me? I kind of miss my mother, but you're not allowed to tell her. _

_ Draco Malfoy_

August 25th

_I now have no eyebrows, it' supposedly an occupational hazard. Please tell me why I decided I wanted to do this? Apparently being good at potions is only a small part of being a good healer. I should have known, it seemed much too easy. This is nothing like school, you're expected to know all the rules before you ever set foot in St. Mungo's, and expected to think on your feet. I kind of like the challenge of it all, but at the same time it's rather frustrating. It's very rewarding though, I can now cure most small injuries and minor illnesses, and it's only been two days._

_ Oh, London, Britain in its entirety really, misses you terribly. The flowers are all dying, children don't play anymore, it's really miserable. The saddest thing of all is that I'm sure, for just one second, that comment inflated your ego tremendously before you realized I was only joking. At any rate, your mother is wonderful. Yes she does have me for tea quite often, she really is darling. And thanks, for the compliment, it was surprisingly sweet. _

_ Chloe realized you didn't know what she was saying, it was the point. It wasn't important anyways, she just thinks very highly of you. Surprising really, since when she met Maggiore Montgomery I had to hear for hours on end about how he was the most arrogant peacock she'd ever met. Funny how she finds you any different. Sorry. I just re-read that and it did come across quite rude. And, I must say, you are certainly a lot more dashing than Krum. As I'm sure you've realized, Chloe always was the strange one, and Krum can be very charming when he wants to be. _

_ I'm not swayed on your voice, I simply cannot believe that to be true. Perhaps the children fear that their only options are either to sleep or to continue listening. The terrible two's are not that bad, be patient. And children can find beauty in anything, that's what makes them beautiful themselves._

_ Astoria Greengrass_

August 29th

_ You really are quite nice, aren't you? I don't think I've ever met a pureblood who'll apologize for an insult, not sincerely. Although, I wonder what you meant about the surprisingly sweet bit, I'm always sweet. Or, rather, I'm surprised you're surprised I was sweet to you. Have you been talking to my father? You sounded a lot like him with that sneaky bit, as if you don't think I'm attractive._

_ Actually, have you been talking to my father? And mother? I take back what I said, I miss them loads here. And you can tell my mother I take back what I said to her as well, about being too old for her to send sweets. I could use them, they'd make it easier. I'm still with the terrible twos, and now Mr. Magic has decided it's his job to teach the others how to fly their brooms out of windows. I'm not allowed to make the glass shatterproof in case there's a fire and we have to escape, so now I've hidden all the toy brooms. We'll see how long that one lasts. Don't see why I couldn't just put out the fire with my wand, or slide-along with the kids._

_ Chloe is a surprisingly great confidante. She's quite witty, and sociable. I can see how you'd be good friends. What's this about Krum being charming? I always thought he had witches after him because of his fame. How is he charming?_

_ Healing is hard, but don't pretend you didn't know that. Of course it's hard, but that's what you'll love about it. We need a healer down at the orphanage. It takes longer for our barely qualified nursemaid here to look up the cure for any illness than it takes to brew the potion or to say the spell. At the rate these kids hurt themselves it's a wonder they haven't all bled to death._

_ It's alright, my ego is inflated perfectly, thank you._

_Draco Malfoy._

_ Oh, and can I have a picture of you? Some of the older ones are supposed to draw a picture of who they admire the most, and some of the girls don't quite have the right idea. Who was Madame Curie? Muggleborns._

September 5th

_I hope that picture is good enough, it was taken at school, but I haven't gotten that much older. Although, why any of those children would admire me is beyond my imagination. Madame Curie invented a non-magical way to cure some disease. Honestly it must be quite terrible to be a muggle. _

_ Healing. The most noble profession one can aim to never do. There are more ways to cure colds and flues than I, you, or anyone else could ever need, and yet some people manage to be allergic to all of them. Now we're learning how to substitute one potions ingredient for another in the hopes of avoiding allergies. It would be exciting if we were allowed to try it out, but this isn't school, and apparently there's no room for mistakes. We make suggestions, and then watch someone else get it right the first time. _

_I actually thought I'd mentioned that, of course I told your parents you miss them. Your mum has me over quite a lot actually, and she was very happy to find out about the sweets. Reminds her of your Hogwarts days I suppose. _

_I'm glad you and Chloe get on, although I'm surprised that she's still writing you. Being a healer is much more stressful than you'd expect. They have us living here now, it's like Beauxbatons all over again. Except, I don't think people here would approve of my suggestions to run around at the nonexistent beach. _

_There's this one professor who's barely three years older than me, and he lords it over all of our heads how he's ever so much more qualified than us because he's already good enough to teach us. He's such a bloody prat, but apparently I'm supposed to swoon over him like everyone else in this program. He's much more frustrating than anything else I've been through so far. _

_How are things at the orphanage? Still with the terrible twos? _

_Astoria Greengrass_

September 8th

_ If this was a few years ago I'd be at Hogwarts right now. Most of the older kids go to Beauxbatons, but a couple end up at Hogwarts. Because nobody else here went there, they asked me to help get them ready, and to take them there. It's a wonder the kids didn't get scalped showing up with me. Didn't seem to bother the lot though, one of the girls was crying and I nearly had to get on the train with her before she'd let me go. I'd never thought of it before, but it must be terrible not having parents. I tried to do all the goodbye things my mum used to do, but I'm sure I missed a lesson or a scolding of some sort. Watch, the lot of them will come back as trollops and troublemakers and it'll be on my conscious._

_ Now that summer is over some of the volunteers have gone back to their regular lives, leaving us entirely short-staffed. This means in addition to supervising the younger kids, I also get to monitor eating time. Some of these kids are little terrors; my mother would have never allowed it. I really miss my mother, especially since they force me to share everything in the care packages. She just says it's good for me to learn to share, as if I don't know how. However, we have a new Healer, an actual Healer. He's a permanent staff member. His name is Jasper. He's really short, and the kids are terrified of him. They all behave now though, so it serves the lot of them right. _

_ I miss English, as ridiculous as that sounds. I feel like everyone is secretly laughing at me for my accent. Some of the kids who have to go to Hogwarts in a year or two have started coming to me to practice, and it's the only time I hear any English ever. They want me to start teaching all of the older kids English, and I might do it just to hear some English again. _

_ Tell me more about this new professor, he sounds like a friendly sort. Only joking, but really how bad can he be? It can't be much worse than a particularly stern teacher, except perhaps more smug? Then again, I can't imagine that any of the Beauxbatons teachers could have been more incompetent that our second year teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart. He went and muddled his brains doing something or other involving Potter. _

_ Draco Malfoy_

September 21st

_ I am so sorry, I know I haven't written in forever. I'm starting to hate being a Healer. Why does it seem like everyone and their brother are complete morons? They have us taking on the not terribly ill patients, matched with someone who knows what they're doing. I'm matched with Healer Robbins who is very nice but very nervous. I think I make him uncomfortable, but I've no idea why or how._

_ Lockhart? I always imagined him as this grand hero, although I have heard that he has a permanent residence here. Something involving some kind of powerful memory charm. My mum used to fancy him, although she'd never admit it. She bought me all of his books when I was nine, and after what happened at Hogwarts she made me write him a get well letter. I suppose she just wanted me to have a hero, although I also think it helped that he was a right charmer. I always thought he'd be rather pompous and arrogant in real life, most men like him are. _

_ How are the children at the orphanage? Healer Robbins isn't one for healing children, so I have yet to work with one. Some people here think I should become a full on mediwitch, but I don't think I'd like the hours. Being a Healer is much less intense, and you don't deal with any of the cases that are too extreme, unless it's an emergency. And you have to tell me whether or not you decided to teach the English classes. Either way I think it's a great idea. Before you know it, you'll be back in England and won't know how to charm us all anymore. _

_ You should tell me more about Jasper, he seems interesting. Your mother misses you terribly. I think she's actually more worried about you now than she was when you were off at Hogwarts, less supervision? I told her that you're probably the talk of the town wherever you are. Tthe children must be awfully fond of you. Being perfectly honest, I'm beginning to miss you as well. It's lovely writing you. _

_ Astoria Greengrass_

October 30th

_ I am so sorry. It seems fate did not want me to write back, as nothing has been going my way. One of the smaller girls got terribly ill, and apparently I'm her favorite. She wouldn't let go of me except in her sleep, and if she woke up and found out I wasn't there, well, essentially I was forbidden to leave the room. Any time I had was spent eating, bathing, and trying to work around her schedule. We thought she was going to pass on, but she's fine. Then, of course, a worker's two year mark passed, and he decided he really ought to get home. Turns out he left a family in the States to work at the orphanage, no note or anything. Claims he was trying to 'find himself.' I was asked to cover his shifts since apparently the two weeks I spent with Brigitte were a vacation. Then, when I got off that shift I caught some sort of disease, which is the state I'm writing you in currently. _

_ Jasper has gone from terrifying the children to their favorite adult, at least for the younger ones. It's ridiculous how much some of them adore him, and how much he seems to like them back. I must admit, he's a great confidante. He knows more about life than I would ever have expected, and he knows more English than anyone else here. I believe you would like him if you met him, although he's not the likeable sort when you first meet him. He'd have my head for writing right now, as he's the one taking care of me while I lay here dying. _

_ I'm not sure I like the sound of this Robbins fellow. If he's so nervous isn't he putting your life in danger? Besides, what kind of example could he be setting for you? I'm sure that there are way more qualified female staffers that could hold their own and give you insight into being a female Healer at Mungo's. That is, if that's where you end up working. I did, by the way, decide to teach the English, although my string of horrid incidents has made it impossible for me to start. _

_ I miss you too._

_ Draco Malfoy _

November 14th

_ I'm sorry I haven't written in so long. It seems fate agreed with your assessment of Healer Robbins. They've transferred me to a new Healer, the one I wrote you about before, Healer Jenkins. He's even more of a prat to work under, I think he cares more about getting me to dine with him than my education, but I've dealt with silly boys like him before. _

_ I fear I may have offended his ego the other night when I told him he ought to stop wasting his time. I may have hinted that I was already betrothed, although I did not come out and say it. Still, if I ever show up at Mungo's with male accompaniment I am sure he will leave me alone. Meanwhile, Healing has become the bane of my existence. We've reached the part of the curriculum that we have come to call the "it gets better" phase. Every Healer and Mediwizard takes one look at us walking down the hallway, smiles, and tells us that "it gets better." _

_ How have you been? I hope that you have gotten over your illness and that when you write again you will tell me of teaching English to the children. Come to think of it, you must be beginning preparations for the holiday. Are the children that are in school coming to the orphanage, or shall they stay in school? Do they get a choice? _

_ Jasper sounds very pleasant; it must be nice to have such a good confidant. I am beginning to tire of the hospital's lodgings. Come December we will have the month to ourselves, and I am more than happy to be able to go home again. As is, my lunch breaks are monopolized by lunch dates with friends, or by me trying to get in some work. _

_ Apollo, my brother, has been acting strange lately. Mother thinks he's going to propose to someone. Is it bad that I hope that is not the case? At least, not without us meeting her. I adore my brother, but his taste in women can be quite awful. _

_ Do you or the orphanage have any Christmas traditions?_

_ You didn't have to say you miss me, but I do miss you._

_ Astoria _

November 23rd

_Teaching English is interesting. By interesting I mean impossible. I really do think it's a terrible language, and if you weren't born knowing it you'd have to be a genius to pick it up. A girl who recently joined us, Eloise, trained to be a professor. She helped me set up a curriculum the second I got off my deathbed, and it's still the most difficult thing I've ever done. And, this is just the kids who're too young for school. They're supposed to suck it all up like a sponge, but so far most of them just give me empty looks. Eloise says I'm speaking too fast._

_ Christmas is a long way away, but it's all the kids want to talk about. I suppose you're aware that French kids expect candies and presents in their shoes for Christmas? Pere Noel sounds like an absolute nutter. They don't even use decorated shoes like we have Christmas stockings. They all just use regular shoes._

_ The orphanage staff pools some of their wages and personal money to buy the kids gifts. I told my mother this when she asked, and she's asked me for a list of the kids names. There's no way for me to say no, but I'm afraid she's going to get way too much. What happens when I leave and the kids go back to whatever it is they usually get? Still, I'll send her the list and try to caution her against overspending. _

_ As for your brother, well, he either is or isn't. I used to think only a girl could make a man go crazy, and life promptly taught me otherwise. I don't know what there is left to get mixed up in, but perhaps he's mixed up in something else. For all you know, a wife could be the last thing on his mind. I never did get to meet your brother, but from what I've heard he seems like the agreeable sort. Not the type of bloke to run off and get married without warning. _

_ The kids don't have to come here if they don't want to, and I've heard most of them chose to stay, but one of the girls at Hogwarts is having a tough time of it and writes here weekly. Evidently someone's taken to teasing her about not having parents. I must admit, that's the sort of thing I used to think was funny. Do you ever look back at yourself and wonder how you could have possibly been so immature?_

_ Draco_

December 1st

_ I am currently writing from my own bed in my own home. Well, my father's home. I don't get why Apollo gets to go live out in the middle of nowhere. Eventually this is going to be his house. Meanwhile I'm stuck living here, but according to mother it's "for the best." _

_If you meant that last bit about Apollo to be consoling, I'll have you know I almost went into shock. We still don't know what's going on, and now mum's written off a marriage as well. She's been asking everyone we know to keep an eye on him, and we know he's been leaving the country recently. Nobody knows where he's going, but apparently wherever he's leaving to they have the funds to send him there and back. Lord knows Apollo is broke now that dad cut him off._

_Oh, I forgot you wouldn't know about that. Apollo did something to annoy my father, and now my father has told him to get his own damn Gringott's account. I don't think he meant it, but Apollo is too proud to just apologize for whatever he did and there is no way my father will allow him a way out without an apology. Of course, my mum is throwing a fit because nobody will ever marry him if they know. Now she's asking me which of my friends in France and Spain are suitable wives. She thinks maybe Apollo is just bored in England and needs to get out. I think she's being ridiculous, but I will not say anything. _

_On a happier note, you were in the paper! Imagine my surprise when I opened the Daily Prophet and there you were on page four grinning with a bunch of little children pulling on you. I feel rather bad actually, that little boy seemed to be pulling awfully hard on your hair! Master Gentile seemed to have a lot of nice things to say about your contributions as well, according to him your contribution has been "above and beyond." I can't believe you got a whole article in the paper and I still have no idea where you are. You were right too, France won't release information about the location of an orphanage unless I'm planning to adopt or volunteer, and there's no saying you're "thinking about it" either. _

_ I constantly think about my immaturity. I'm sorry to say that it does not surprise me that you were the kind of child that thought that kind of thing was funny, considering you're the kind of child that got sweets from his mum all the time. Oh well, (__we'll)__ I'll have to raise __our__ my children better than that I suppose. I'm still wondering if I can squeeze a Christmas gift from Pere Noel out of my parents myself. He always gave better presents I'm afraid to admit. Once I turned eleven it's like my parents decided I needed to grow up and started giving practical gifts._

_ We were all immature as children; that's why we're no longer considered children. _

_Astoria_

December 11th

_My mother told me you and Chloe said something to her, and I'm glad you did. There are in total thirty-two children here, including the seventeen that are in school. When Chloe asked I told her that the orphanage tries to spend about a galleon on each child's gift, although if they don't raise that much the older kids get less expensive things. My mother covered it. Actually, she more than covered it. She sent one hundred galleons and instructions. We are to spend two galleons per child per gift, give all of the school age children a galleon to spend on whatever they like, and then use the rest to decorate. When I gave it all to Director Gentile, along with my mum's letter, he actually cried. Apparently she's trying to make it a permanent fund. _

_ I'm surprised I was in the paper. Director Gentile never told me I was above and beyond anything, but I'm glad to hear it. I'm also glad to hear you're happy at home. Well, not entirely happy I suppose. I miss home. It's not a very manly thing to say I'm afraid, but I do. It's been almost six months already. Sometimes I feel like it's been years, sometimes I feel like I just got here._

_ You should leave your brother be. I'm sure whatever has come to pass with him he's not daft enough to get involved with something terrible. I struggle to imagine you as less than perfect at any point in your life, so forgive me if I doubt that you were ever as immature as I was. I've left this a bit late, hopefully you get this in enough time for me to write back before Christmas. _

_Of everything I miss I think I miss you the most, don't tell my mother._

_Draco_

December 20th

_Now that I'm home, I realize how boring home is. Daphne has certainly become a popular little socialite. I feel terrible, but I absolutely cannot take another story about her going here or there with this person or that person. I'm beginning to think I dodged a bullet by not going to school with her. Chloe, as I'm sure she's told you, is currently living in France again and trying to coax Viktor down to meet her parents. I actually haven't heard much from Nicole recently at all, which is surprising, and Anya's trying to move out and considering leaving Bulgaria. All-in-all, there's not much time for me in anyone's life._

_ Therefore, I have been scouring the papers for your name. There was another article about you, and the picture is of you with a short man that I can only assume is Jasper, and a woman that might be Eloise? However, it also has a picture of your mother because of her gift! It even says that the orphanage director has never received such a large gift for the children from someone who is already part of the volunteer effort. A lot of people seem really moved by what you're doing there. Someone is even trying to organize a sort of charity effort like the one your mother had started, so that it doesn't all have to come out of her pocket. Supposedly Percy Weasley is getting involved with it. _

_ I have given up on Apollo. If he were doing something dangerous he'd have muddled it by now, I know my brother. Maybe he's secretly gotten a job. I wish someone would tell me what it is he and my father fought about. I doubt you miss me more than your mother, but I miss you too. Probably more than I should to be perfectly honest._

_ I've enclosed your gift. It's for Christmas, so don't you dare open it before. I hope you like it. There're a lot of pieces to it. I wanted you to see what I've been working on here, but I've also just kind of been collecting things that made me think of you. I've also sent your mum's gift and a letter from her and your father. She says if you open them before Christmas morning she'll know and there'll be a price to pay. You should send me pictures of the orphanage decorated. I'd love to see it. Nobody decorates our house any more. _

_Astoria_

December 24th

_Your letter got here last night. I'm not even sure this one will reach you before Christmas is over, but here's hoping. I'm glad you got me a gift because it means I can get you a gift and you can't protest in any way. Assuming it does get there after Christmas, you should pretend to open it with Christmas joy anyways. I've also sent gifts for my parents with you, since you seem to see them more frequently than I write them. Not that I mind in any way. My mother really likes you. (__I really like you too.)__ I'm rather fond of you as well. _

_I don't know that my mother will voluntarily work with a Weasley. Some bygones are harder to let be than others. I am glad though that she's getting support from people. I think she's just as bored as you are sitting at home all day. Sorry about that, by the way. If I were in England, you'd be my absolute first priority. (__I hate to think it but)__ I'm sure there are many men there who are more than happy to keep you company. _

_When do you go back to Mungo's?_

_Merry Christmas,_

_Draco_

December 31st

_ I cannot believe you got me so much jewelry! You know, typically someone gives another person __A__ necklace or __A__ bracelet or __A__ pair of earrings, not an entire matching set! What's this about them changing to match what I'm wearing? I've never even heard of a charm that can do this. It is the most beautiful and impractical gift I've ever received and I absolutely love it. Really. I hope you like what I got you. _

_ I'm sorry to bring up Apollo again, but you're the only person I can speak to about this. You can't judge me for worrying because you're too far away. He came for Christmas and apologized for whatever he did, gave us all gifts, and refuses to tell us what he's been up to. He seems really satisfied with himself though, so I still have my money on a job. _

_ The pictures you sent are adorable! I have never seen you with facial hair, not even in any of the pictures your mother has shown me. Forgive me for saying this but it's rather funny to see your hair so long, you look more like your father than I realized. Perhaps that's the reason for the goatee-like hair you have going on? Also, the orphanage looks absolutely beautiful with the decorations you all put up. Those children all looked so happy, especially the baby trying to eat the floating bauble. I didn't expect you to send the pictures with your gift, and it was almost better. It goes without saying that I haven't exactly seen you in a while. How is Jasper? You haven't talked about him lately, or about Eloise and teaching English. _

_I go back to Healer training tomorrow. Please forgive me if I don't write back in a timely fashion, (__I'm always thinking about you.) __I really do miss you._

_Astoria_

January 5th

_ Somehow you've made me feel bad about getting you jewelry. You brewed potions for me? The little notes you put on the bottles were possibly the nicest thing anyone's done for me. This is the first gift I'm not being made to share. Jasper says to tell you that "Veritaserum: Because we're not too old to remember how often children lie" is his absolute favorite, but mine is "Pepperup Potion: For when you miss home a little too much." I also like the watch, especially since mine was recently "borrowed" for an "experiment" and never returned. You never told me you bake either, and now I've hidden those cookies away. I don't know where you got all these Slytherin themed things, but they made me laugh. Jasper is rather flattered that you asked about him. He says to tell you that he's fine, and that you're funny. Apparently when I told him you were perfect he didn't believe me. _

_ I'm glad your Christmas was fun. Mine was actually fantastic. The kids loved the little things we stuck in their shoes, and their larger gifts. We actually had to write some of the older ones to tell them to spend the Galleons on themselves, which just goes to prove that every single one of these orphans is a better person than I was at their age. Oh well, at least I had my looks._

_ I honestly don't mind you writing about your brother. I'm glad you trust me enough to talk to me about him. I hope that everything's going well at Mungo's, and I'm glad you liked the brats' pictures. My mum said you'd want some, so I was planning on sending them even before I got your letter. _

_Draco_

February 7th

_Please don't be angry, but your letter was confiscated by Catherine. She's one of my fellow trainees, and she wanted to know who I was "always" writing to. Then, she forgot she had it. Good news, she likes you. I didn't even get it from her until the 20__th__, and then one of Healer Jenkins' patients suddenly got extremely ill. Apparently, we've reached a stage where we should be able to handle anything. I can now say that I've helped save a life. Depending on your reaction, maybe the life I've saved will be atonement for me killing Catherine. _

_I'm glad your Christmas was nice. I'm also glad you liked the potions and the Slytherin gear and the cookies and the watch. Especially the potions. It was fun thinking of things to write. During training they told us how most hospital cases could be prevented if someone had a basic set of household potions brewed at all times, and I figured you didn't have one, and I don't want you to go to the hospital. Catherine says she's sorry too, and please don't be angry so I don't kill her. Between you and me, you can feel free to react however you'd like. _

_It's funny. Chloe and Krum had some sort of falling out, so he's back in Bulgaria and she's in France not speaking to anyone. I still haven't heard from Nicole, although last I heard she was spending time in London. Apollo comes by more often now, but it's not like I can talk to him while I'm here. Anya writes, but she might move in with her fiancée, so now she wants to stay in Bulgaria. Catherine is about to die a slow and painful death. You're sort of the most reliable person in my life outside of my parents. I really appreciate that._

_Astoria_

February 18th

_I'm not angry at Catherine. Well, no. That's not entirely true. I don't want you to be angry at Catherine. I'm sure what you went through when you thought I wasn't writing was almost as bad as she sheer agony I felt as I waited daily by the post for your letter for over a month. But in all honesty, I'm sure she didn't mean to, and she'll probably never do it again._

_Did you know it's illegal to use Veritaserum on other adults without ministry permission in England? Did you know it is not illegal in France? We had a staff game of something called "Truth or Dare" that Eloise used to play. When someone picked truth they had to have a swig of your Veritaserum. Needless to say, I now know too much about the staff here and you are the most popular person to have never set foot in this building. Well, excluding my mother. Gentile has her picture up on the wall. _

_I had wondered why Chloe had stopped writing me. Ah well, I doubt it will last. I'm not exactly an expert on people's relationships with each other, but Chloe really cared about him. From hearing her describe him, there was clearly a lot more to him than I'd realized. Apparently he doesn't want to meet her parents? I can't imagine why. Things must be very different in Bulgaria. If it were any other bloke I'd say he wasn't committed._

_Did you really save a life? Knowing you, the "help" you got was probably next to nothing at all. You always manage to make me stand in awe of you. _

_Draco_

March 1st

_ You are absolutely the first and only person I am telling this to. I know you write to Chloe, I don't know if she's started speaking to you again yet, but please don't say anything. I found out what Apollo's gotten mixed up in, and it is a girl. And trouble. No, she's not a muggbleborn or even a half-blood but. Oh. You really can't tell anyone. _

_ My brother has fallen in love with my friend Nicole. I know for a fact that Chloe has written you about Nicole. If, by some miracle she hasn't, I'll describe Nicole. Nicole spends her vacations prowling up and down the coast of America and breaking boys' hearts. Seriously, while Chloe was establishing a connection with Krum, she was establishing a connection with the rest of the team. Her father is Carlos Medina, as in the Medina that scored more goals from 68-73 than any other player in the International League. Which means, she spends most of her time talking about how dishy she thinks Quidditch player are. Apollo is not a Quidditch player. The last time I checked, the two of them didn't even like each other._

_I wish he hadn't told me. He only told me because she wanted to tell me, and he didn't want it to come from her. I cannot handle this. Why can't you be the only person I know? I'm glad you had fun with the Veritaserum. Catherine actually told me after I sent it that it was illegal, at least here. I was worried you'd have to let it sit. Right now I miss you more than I ever have. You're the only person I know who I could trust with this. I wish I didn't have to burden you with it. It's funny to think you stand in awe of me, ever. I'm not exactly an imposing figure._

_Astoria _

March 13th

_We got another baby a week ago. Her name is Couture. She was just left here with a note. Sometimes I think French people are all nutters. She cries louder than anything I've ever experienced before. I'm not even on night duty, but more often than not I end up waking up to her crying anyways. If I was this bad as a baby then my mother is a Saint. The other day one of the newer staff members asked if we could turn her out, and I swear Gentile pondered it before his denial. _

_You no longer write me about your actual Healer's licensing process, which I can only assume means that it has, in fact, gotten better. That's good. I hope you and Catherine still get on, and that you've heard from Chloe. She wrote me to say she's moving on from Krum for good, but I don't believe it. She'll be back with him before I leave this orphanage, I'd put money on that. _

_I am unsure how I should feel about Apollo's situation. However, I am sorry that it's causing you that much stress. I'm also extremely flattered that you trust me this much. I can't tell you how much your trust means to me. The more time goes by, the more I miss you. I can't believe it is already March. I'll be leaving here at the end of June. I never thought I'd hate to leave, but I think I will. Volunteering here has been magnificent. Still, I'm more than ready to come home (__to you.)_

_Draco_

March 20th

_I don't know why I wouldn't trust you. You're my best confidante. You should write to your mother more. I don't mean to get into your business, but she misses you more now that your dad is out and about. I'm sure you know that he's on the board for something or other in the Ministry again. It wasn't the most popular decision in Britain, but he's absolutely ecstatic. Still, I think it leaves your mom feeling a bit left out. Your mother, by the way, is my hero. She's trying to start a Christmas fund for orphanages in general. She's starting with the ones in Britain, but she's set up a special little fund for wherever you're at. Nobody will tell me, and now you've died out of the papers a bit. _

_My brother and my friend have apparently decided that they're going to finally tell my mother. They keep putting it off though, although I can't imagine what they're waiting for. She's not going to get less angry the longer they wait. She's the only one in the house who still even worries about him._

_Couture is a unique name. Maybe our firstborn daughter will be named Couture. Or boy. I'm not too picky. Only teasing. I do miss you entirely too much though. _

_Astoria_

March 31st

_Our firstborn, huh? It is Malfoy tradition that the firstborn be a boy, and he will most certainly not be named Couture. Even if you wanted to, Malfoy men get Greek or Roman names. I've no idea why. I'm glad you and my mother get along so well. You don't write about my dad too much, but he's rather fond of you too. I suppose he likes that you keep my mom company when you can. He says your lunch breaks lately have barely been long enough for tea let alone an actual meal. I hope you're not working too hard._

_Let that be Apollo's funeral. I've spent my entire life avoiding my mother's wrath because of what it can bring. He must really be in love with your friend if he's willing to drag this out. Unless, would your mother disapprove?_

_You're my only confidante other than Jasper, and between the two of you I'd chose you in an instant. Even if I spoke to all of my old friends, you'd still be my absolute best confidante. You never seem to expect anything from me, and if you ask me you're much too pleased with what you're getting. For my sanity, please don't change your mind. _

_Draco_

April 9th

_Well. That's that. Whatever my brother and Nicole were trying to avoid, it's over. Her parents were visiting London because Spain's playing England soon. Apparently Nicole told her sister Michelle when Apollo told me, and Michelle let slip that Nicole's new beau lives in London. Next thing you know her parents are demanding to meet him. Apollo didn't feel right telling her parents but not ours, so they took everyone out to dinner and told them the news. Our fathers are friends, and don't care at all. I think Madame Medina is angry that Nicole isn't dating a Quidditch player while my mother is angry that Apollo lied and hid this from her and isn't dating a nice English girl. Now that they've refused to break it off, my mom is going to make sure that he goes through the courting process the right way. Of course, this means that my one and only night off, which is coming in a week, is going to be spent at dinner with Nicole's family where I'll have to present the image of a perfect sister-in-law to my best friend. It's bad enough hearing both of them ask me if the other talks about them, to which the answer is yes, all the time. _

_I'm sorry if I seem a bit snippy. I think I'm really just nervous. We end our training at the very beginning of May. There's no ceremony or anything. We just come in one day and put in one last day, then at the end we turn in our lime green robes and collect our Healing certificates. My mother has not stopped bothering me about getting out more, either. She loves that I spend time with your mother, however she thinks the days I don't spend at your home should be spent with every male in England, apparently. I keep trying to tell her I'm not anti-social, but she's not having it. _

_Sometimes I feel like you are literally the only person that understands me. _

_Astoria_

April 17th

_I don't envy your situation. I'm sure the next time you write back you'll be an official, licensed Healer, so I want to be the first to congratulate you. You deserve this Astoria, you're probably one of the brightest people I've ever met. You're definitely one of the best and one of the most beautiful as well, in case you were wondering. _

_Please feel free to tell your mother that you do not, in fact, need to go out with every bloke in England. In fact, I don't think she should be distracting you from your studies, especially when you're so close. If you wanted to hold off until much later, say the end of June, that would be entirely your choice. Things at the orphanage are getting hectic. We're beginning to prepare for having all of the older children come back from school. There's a lot more to it than I realized, including making sure that everything is clean and cozy from here on out. I think it's the most work for the cook, who has to go from preparing meals for small children and a group of adults to a group of about seventeen adolescents plus everyone else. _

_Your brother can sort out his own problems. I meant it when I said you should focus. You're so close to being finished, I want you to leave there 100% proud of everything you've done from start to end. _

_Draco_

May 3rd

_I can't believe I'm done with this. I'm no longer in school, can you believe that? I suppose the feeling is quite normal to you, but I guess I just replaced Beauxbatons with Healer training. Now, I have neither I suppose. I'm just an adult. The strangest part of it is that we still have to apply to this job. Several of the Healers working here have told me, privately of course, that they would send me a recommendation. Still, we can't all work here and there's more to it that finding a rec. We had to take a sort of miniature exam before we could officially receive our certificates. I know I passed, but I don't know if I did well enough. I can't imagine not getting to work at Mungo's._

_You know, my mum always told me she wished she'd gotten a job, and I couldn't understand it. I always thought it would be amazing to get to simply live, without worrying about working. But suddenly I'm not looking forward to the next two weeks. Can you believe it? We have to wait two weeks before they tell us if they will hire us or not. Then, we have to wait until August before they'll take those of us that they hired in and sort out what floor we'll be working on. _

_My mum and my brother and Nicole are all driving me absolutely mad. At this point I wish Nicole and Apollo would just elope already. To add insult to injury, my brother's gotten his face splashed on some trashy tabloid with Nicole. Now my mother, who's still convinced they're going to break it off eventually, is also convinced that no other woman will touch him. I'm one day out of training and I already miss Mungo's. _

_I hope things have settled down for you at the orphanage. I feel like I've commandeered more than my fair share of these letters with everything at Mungo's, but honestly I can't wait to see you again. Out of curiosity, did you ever get a haircut or shave? If not, the next time I see you you're going to literally be your father with a goatee. Whoever told you that was a good look for you has clearly never seen you clean shaven. I don't really mind too much though, as long as it's you._

_Astoria_

_PS: All those months ago, when those girls needed to do that project, you should have given them a picture of your mother. _

May 14th

_It is May. There are less than two months until I see you. And my mother. And my father. And everyone and everything else that I miss. According to everyone who has been here longer than I have, there will come a point in time where I will see it as leaving the orphanage, instead of focusing on my return home. I, however, am not swayed. Until I have seen you again, I doubt anything else could matter as much to me._

_Before I forget, is there any day in early July that would be particularly convenient for you? Gentile is trying to find me a day to leave France after my full year is finished. Apparently getting into England is extremely difficult without connections, and sadly it must be set up through the orphanage and not me personally. International floo is a pain, and if it wouldn't take ages too long I think I'd simply fly home. Still, if we get to a date this early, it's possible we can arrange it. _

_Draco_

_PS: All those months ago, I made up that story because I desperately wanted a picture of you and had absolutely no idea how to ask for one. Thanks for telling me who Madame Curie was._

May 20th

_You, Draco Malfoy, are speaking to the newest healer at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I got that letter and yours on the 16__th__, which means May 16__th__ must be my lucky day! If it's not too late, can you try to get back July 3__rd__? I know that's oddly specific, but you asked. It's an entirely clear day for me, and I won't plan anything until I know whether you can or not. _

_Catherine got it too, and we're both going to petition really hard to be put on the same floor. Also, in case you hadn't heard, you were absolutely right. Viktor and Chloe are together again, despite the fact that the paper rumored him to be in a romantic fling with Hermione Granger. In fact, when Chloe saw that article I think that's what prompted her to get him back. She wrote him telling him to get off of his high horse and come meet her parents, and I guess he agreed. _

_The closer we get to the end of June, the more anxious I get. Now that everybody is coupled off being at home is more boring than it was even last summer. My mother is not-so-subtly trying to get me to do things with people. I'm afraid the relentless comments are winning. She's gone so far as to send me out with Daphne even. Daphne and Millicent Bulstrode are apparently bosom buddies now though, and Millicent hates me, so that's never any fun. I don't have the heart to tell Millicent that Daphne and Pansy laugh at her when she's not there. _

_I don't know how you ever got on with Pansy for that matter. I've never met a meaner girl in my life, and being married has changed absolutely nothing about her. I'm glad I missed that wedding. Daphne cried about not being a bridesmaid, and the only reason Pansy rejected her is because she thought Daphne might upstage her. It's why I'm not particularly looking forward to having Daphne in my wedding though, so I'll give Pansy that one. _

_You could have just asked me for a picture Draco. I would have gladly sent one._

_Come home soon,_

_Astoria. _

June 2nd

_Well, they have all returned. The Hogwarts kids were picked up today, and the Beauxbatons kids were already back. I know I constantly say these children are better people than me, but I mean it. Perhaps not the Beauxbatons lot, all they do is complain about being on hols. The five Hogwarts kids, however, told me we needed to have a chat. They proceeded to sit me down and tell me all of the awful things some of their classmates said about me, and considering one of them is Gryffindor I'm sure you can imagine. _

_They then proceeded to tell me that they're sorry their classmates are so daft. They told me they wanted to make sure I understood that they didn't blame me for what happened to them or their parents. One of them, Henry, told me that everyone else was full of it because it wasn't as though their parents were actually doing anything to help the orphaned children except feeling sorry for them. Then again, Henry is a fourth year Ravenclaw so really I'd expect that kind of insight. _

_I will say once again Congratulations, I am extremely proud of you. I knew you'd be working at Mungo's though, unless something happened and their entire staff went funny. As for the situation with Apollo, well, this is why I'm perfectly content to have no siblings. _

_It looks like the earliest possible day I'll be able to floo to England is the 4__th__. I'm terribly sorry. I really tried, but in early July they're taking only six people a day to England out of the ministry, and five of the slots were filled by a family leaving on vacation, the last by an old man. I was wondering though, if you would like to meet me at the ministry on the 4__th__? I'd be traveling at ten. Yours is absolutely the first face I want to see when I get home._

_I (__love you)__ can't wait to see you,_

_Draco_

June 18th

_This is hopefully the last letter I will write to you in quite some time. You had better prepare yourself, I plan to monopolize all of your time when you come home. Between me and your mother, you might never see a day's rest. Even your father's getting a bit anxious at the thought of your return. _

_This is going to be a brief letter, because there's nothing else to say. I miss you, and soon I won't have to ever miss you again. Also, I would love to meet you at the ministry. I'll be there at ten, sharp._

_Astoria_

June 28th

_That's it. Everything's wrapped up at the orphanage. Considering the only thing I spent money on here was gifts to the people I care about, I had quite a bit left over. I think I'm going to hide it in my bed. If I ever come back here I'll use it, and if not I'm sure eventually someone will find it. I've said all my goodbye's for the most part, so now it's just the waiting game._

_Just think, the earliest you'll get this is the 30__th__, and then I'm just three short days away. __**I cannot wait to see you, to hold you, and to remember you.**__ Sorry, Jasper got a hold of the pen there. I would never write that, but it's true. _

_Draco_


	11. Chapter Ten

A/N: Today is my last day at home. Starting tomorrow, I'm officially I college girl! But, I've almost finished writing this story, so I promise I'm coming through for you. I've mapped out the rest of the story. And, since you're not going to be happy with me, I will give you one tiny spoiler. The story ends with a wedding :)

* * *

Astoria Greengrass tried her hardest not to be upset that Draco couldn't come back on the third. She doubted he even remembered that it was her birthday, and even if he did she knew his hands were tied. Having him arrive the day after her birthday was present enough. Still, when Maggiore asked her to spend the day with him, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she should refuse. It wasn't up to her really anyways, her mother made her accept instantly.

Astoria's mother had fallen absolutely in love with Maggiore Montgomery. Astoria knew her mother tried to present a non-biased image when she went out with some of the others, but it didn't really matter. Astoria could see right through her mother, and she honestly didn't mind. Ever since she'd been home, waiting for August so she could begin her work at Mungo's, she knew she'd been a bit of a mope. Plus, with Apollo and Nicole going around all over London, she knew her mother felt like she was losing control. That was why, the evening before her birthday, she found herself picking out something casual in blue, which was Maggiore's favorite color.

When Astoria woke up, the only thought in her head was that Draco was her favorite birthday present. Sure she'd have to wait another day to see him, but the fact that he was finally coming home was enough. Even an awkward breakfast, during which her mother alternately pressed her for details on Apollo and Nicole and urged her to make herself presentable for Maggiore, did nothing to spoil her happiness. Simply put, she felt like she was literally on top of the world.

If she was being honest, she knew it was ridiculous to think she could have fallen in love with someone through a series of letters. Meanwhile, she'd been out several times with Cyprus Rosier, Engel Rizzio, and Maggiore Montgomery. All of them were real, tangible men who'd shown a very clear interest in her. She thought that she could easily fall in love with one of them. She told herself she hadn't been waiting a year for Draco to come back. That she was only excited to see him because he'd come to mean a lot to her as a person and as a friend. It was a waste of her time; she knew it was a lie.

It could be seen clearly in her face. She had not stopped smiling since she woke up. That was the state she greeted Maggiore in when he arrived at her house at two o'clock.

"Well, don't you look lovely? Don't tell me I've put that smile on your face." She'd gotten used to the fact that Maggiore loved to put his arms around her. She didn't normally mind, and she was too happy to care that day.

"Happy birthday, darling." He smiled. He led the two of them leisurely to the safe zone, at which point he whisked them away with a pop. Apparating was hardly comfortable, but somehow Maggiore always made it seem dramatic and romantic.

She was giggling when they got out on the other side. She knew she should be concentrating on Maggiore's presence, but she was so giddy. Of course, he took that as a sign that she was pleased with him. There, on the streets of Diagon Alley, he leaned down and kissed her on the spot. Every kiss with Maggiore was the same, a fact Astoria had realized long before. He was always, always gentle with her. He would envelop her in his arms, lean down, and ever so gently press his lips to hers. Even when the kiss deepened, and it did deepen, Astoria always felt like she was made of porcelain. That kiss was no exception.

Still, when she pulled back she was smiling that same smile. Absolutely nothing that happened on her birthday could compare to what was happening the day after. She felt like she was drowning in the anticipation.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Draco Malfoy was not used to luck being on his side. Of course, luck always came through for him when it counted. But first, luck always liked to make him stew for a bit. So, when his director had told him that the earliest he could leave was July 4th, he was not honestly surprised. However, for once luck seemed to have come through.

The old man who was supposed to be leaving to England had gone ill, and suddenly the spot was open. Draco showed up exactly at two, ready to floo to the Ministry. At the ministry he ignored the odd, sometimes even hostile looks he got from everyone. After all, he was about to see Astoria after over a year, and he had a message to deliver.

He knew he was being somewhat melodramatic. But, it'd taken all of his willpower to resist tacking his message onto the end of every letter he wrote to her. Still, he was going to do things right. First he had to find her the best present possible.

Nothing in France had been right, not that he'd had much time to shop. He knew she'd probably made other plans during the day, but he was counting in her being at home that night, ready for him to surprise her. He apparated directly to Diagon Alley and set about on the streets. He was pleasantly surprised when the crowd gave him absolutely no room, jostling him along just like everyone else. However, at a familiar flash of blonde hair he stopped, nearly getting run over as he stared.

He didn't recognize the man with his arms around her, but he'd recognize Astoria anywhere. He knew it was unreasonable to expect that she'd have spent her birthday alone, but the kiss was so completely intimate, and so public. One did not make public declarations like that unless they were serious. If he'd had any doubts before, all it took was one look at her face afterwards to confirm what he'd already suspected. Never, in the time he'd known her, had Draco seen Astoria Greengrass that happy. He kept looking, with a dull sort of horror, as the man presented her with some sort of gift that made her eyes light up. In that moment he couldn't handle it. He needed time to think. He apparated home, nearly splinching himself in his haste. He surprised his mother and father, dodged their questions, and played at being thrilled to be back at London. He made sure to hug the both of them before retiring "to bed."

Late that evening he apparated back to the ministry. He managed to convince once of the apparition directors that it was an emergency, and for once luck was on his side. He was back at the orphanage before the kids had even woken up, and signed on for another year. He dodged everyone's questions about it, and that night he lay in the exact same bed he'd woken up in. He was too upset to sleep, and trying desperately to convince himself that he hadn't, in fact, run away.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria did not like being stood up. She'd gotten ready early, and went to the ministry, only to be told that Draco Malfoy had arrived the day before. She didn't know what to make of that, but it occurred to her that if he didn't know it was her birthday it wouldn't have mattered to him.

She was not ashamed to admit that she went to his house to try and find him. However, Narcissa was just as confused as she was. The two searched the house, but he was nowhere to be found. Of course, Narcissa was convinced he was looking for a gift for Astoria, and he'd be by later. She asked the girl to stay for tea, which turned into dinner. Everyone did their best to ignore the empty spot where he should have been.

When she finally returned home, the first thing she did was ask her mother if anyone had been by for her. Apparently one of her great aunts had come by to bother her about something, but that was it. Astoria looked so stricken at the news her mother didn't even bother to ask why she'd missed dinner without writing first.

However it was when, a week later, Narcissa owled her that Draco was back at the orphanage, that she finally got angry. Furious, she penned a scathing letter, demanding to know what he thought he was playing at. Without even pausing to think, she sent it off in the mail.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Draco tossed the first letter simply because he couldn't handle writing to her. He knew that he should be fighting for her, but he couldn't get over how happy she'd looked. He hadn't seen her in such a long time, but he was sure he'd never made her that happy. He had tried his best to seem excited when his mother mentioned all of the things she loved about Astoria. He hadn't even planned on returning to the orphanage initially, but after lying in bed picturing her there, he left. Not even his mother found out until a week later when he was settled back in France. He felt terrible for the short letter he'd written, but he hoped she'd eventually understand. Jasper took one look at him and guessed that Astoria had broken his heart. Thus began Jasper's mission of getting Draco to date Eloise.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

That letter would give Astoria nightmares for quite some time. If she had done something to offend him, she realized, that angry letter wasn't going to do anything to solve the problem. Now that Krum had finally met Chloe's parents, the two of them were becoming inseparable. However, it was Apollo and Nicole that she really envied. Everyone in her life who knew about Draco pitied her, she could tell. Apollo and Nicole had begun the annoying habit of trying to include her in everything they did. All that it had done was change her mind about them. They actually got on better than anybody she'd ever seen her brother with before. He was good for her too. Around him Nicole wasn't so flighty. She'd calmed down some, and Astoria was shocked to see that while she'd been at Healer training her friend had grown up.

About a good month after she'd written the first letter she started up at Mungo's. It was there that she was reunited with Catherine. It took her all of one hour before she'd broken down to Catherine and told her everything that was wrong. Catherine told her that she had to immediately write him, so she did. She apologized for being angry, and told him what was going on. She knew Chloe had attempted to write him and that letter had gone unanswered too, so she updated him about everyone's lives. She even found out what some of his old school friends were up to and wrote him about them too. She hoped he wouldn't be too angry to respond to this one.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

The next letter he tossed because he didn't know how he could ever apologize for not responding. It had been a month; he'd had plenty of time to write something. Instead, he did nothing. It was late August anyways. It occurred to him that she would be a fully-fledged healer by then. He was so proud of her for getting that job at Mungo's, although he wasn't even a bit surprised. Even if she wasn't one of the brightest witches he'd ever met, he seriously doubted she would have been denied the job. Meanwhile, he'd decided not to take the children to Hogwarts again this year. Jasper accused him of avoiding London, but he claimed he was merely trying to give someone else the opportunity. Jasper was still encouraging him to date Eloise, and he was still finding every reason not to. One day he broke down and told Jasper the truth about Astoria. She hadn't broken his heart on purpose; it was sort of his fault as well. It was very releasing to have Jasper hear everything, until Jasper called him an idiot. That was it. No advice was given, although Jasper did stop telling him to date Eloise. He was a bit ashamed to admit that he wondered if she would bother to write again.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria waited a long time to see if he would respond. By the time November rolled around, however, she couldn't resist. There was too much to tell him. Her job had picked up beautifully, and she absolutely loved it. She and Catherine had been assigned to the third floor, dealing with Potions and Plant poisoning. It was definitely the floor that saw the most children: apparently every child was either a Potions Master in training, had parents who mislabeled bottles, or simply consumed everything they got their tiny hands on. However, because she was good with children, Astoria would occasionally be called to other floors to deal with a particularly frightened or sickly child.

She didn't include it in the letter, but she'd received her first proposal, from none other than Aladdin. He'd written her privately to say that his mother was on her last straw, and if one more girl rejected him he'd be able to marry the muggleborn girl he fancied. Astoria was not too keen on going to the dinner but, as she couldn't tell her mother why, she was forced to go. It wasn't terrible, although she could tell Aladdin's mother was desperate. Eventually when the time came and he got down on his knee, she nearly fainted instead of telling him no. She managed to mutter out a half-hearted apology, ignore his mother's pleas to just give it time to reconsider, and get out quickly. That was one person she'd never talk to again.

Of course, her family was less than impressed by her one proposal. Astoria had gotten used to it, and it didn't bother her as much as it would have the year before. Daphne, it seemed, had already been proposed to by three of her former Hogwarts classmates. She'd done the gracious thing and gently told two of them that she was flattered and would consider it, but one of them she'd said no to on the spot. Still, Astoria had a feeling she knew Daphne wanted to marry, as evidenced by the fact that she and Pansy still spent time with Millicent. Daphne had asked Astoria if there was any way she might set Millicent up to go out with Apollo, which set Astoria into a fit of laughter so terrible she half considered checking herself into Mungo's. Needless to say, Astoria and Daphne were no longer speaking.

Chloe and Krum were once again in an awkward position, as Chloe's parents were pushing her to settle down. They liked Krum, of course, but they wanted her married as quickly as possible. It was the downside of being an only child. Meanwhile, now that the International Games were over, Bulgaria having placed third overall, Krum was being pushed to renew his international contract. He was being offered yet another raise, but his schedule would determine his location. It meant, of course, that any team Bulgaria played would determine how far away he was from Chloe. She was trying not to be selfish, but she hated the thought of him being all over Europe while she was stuck with her parents in France.

Draco's friend Blaise Zabini was now the poster boy for the Nimbus line of brooms, despite the fact that he was not on a Quidditch team. Astoria knew Daphne was still playing the field, and was almost glad they were in a fight so she didn't have to hear Daphne talk about how eager she was to be dating him. His friend Gregory Goyle had been released from Azkaban, despite the protests of half of the magical community. Still, Astoria knew several of Daphne's Hogwarts friends were absolutely thrilled at the news, and the chance to marry into the Goyle family. She wasn't sure why, when she'd met him he seemed entirely too dull and rather dim-witted.

However, it was Apollo and Nicole's news that finally put Astoria over the edge. Apollo had been acting really dodgy for most of October, and Astoria was sure he was going to break it off with Nicole. However, one evening he told his mother that he wanted to invite the Medina's to dinner. Nobody had any doubts about what that meant. Sure enough on November 4th, after a lovely dinner during which everyone got along fabulously, Apollo asked Nicole if she would marry him. She said yes before he'd even stood back up. Michelle had burst into tears, and Astoria had been surprised to find her own cheeks damp. The ring was absolutely beautiful, and fit Nicole perfectly. Then, while everyone else was celebrating and settling down to choose a month and location, Astoria snuck away to her room to write and send the letter. She figured that, if nothing else, he'd be happy to hear about his friends' release from prison.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

The third letter was the longest yet. When Draco tossed it, it made a considerable thump in the wastebasket. He had a moment of regret right after, and wanted to go back for it, but a little girl named Noelle promptly vomited into the basket and the thought was put from his mind. When Draco had finally broken down and asked Jasper for advice, the only thing he got from his friend was "Don't date Eloise." Frustrated, he vowed to try and put Astoria out of his mind and move on. At first his mother had written him weekly, but now even she was angry with him. He'd asked her to stop mentioning Astoria in her letters, so she'd simply stopped writing. She still sent him sweets occasionally, and she'd promised to deliver the same sum for Christmas that year, but that was it. So, things moved on for Draco. A few of the children had been adopted recently, and as things died down there were a lot of disappointed people to console. It was well known that once children reached schooling age their chances of being adopted were slim to none. The few ten and eleven year olds at the orphanage were considerably sadder than everyone else, and there was nothing really for Draco to do.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria hadn't visited the Malfoys for a while, nobody expected her to, but one day in early December she decided to stop by. Narcissa was very careful not to mention Draco, and Astoria found that she'd missed Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy tremendously. They treated her like she was family, even though it had become clear that their son had no intention of making that a reality. She controlled herself, stopping herself from asking them if it was something she'd done. She doubted they'd know anyways. Apparently, it wasn't only her Draco was done speaking to. It was on that day that Astoria became a part of Narcissa's charity by making her first donation. They celebrated; after all it was Astoria's hard-earned money she was giving. However when Astoria got home she cried. She'd missed them, but she missed him too. She clearly needed to do better to shake him from her system.

A few days later Astoria was speaking to Catherine during one of their breaks when she realized something. Catherine may have been nosy and a bit meddlesome, but she was also the sweetest person Astoria knew. Catherine was currently single and lonely. Her parents had sent her off to the Salem Witches' Academy for school, so she knew nobody in London. She hadn't had a season or anything, and she was having trouble meeting people. That day, as Catherine was describing her perfect man, Astoria immediately thought of Engel. It was strange, her playing matchmaker. She didn't like it much, and she fervently hoped that she didn't have a daughter so she'd never have to do it again. But Astoria knew she was right. Two weeks later Catherine was thanking her for the best date she'd ever been on. However it wasn't until Engel awkwardly thanked her a few weeks later, before breaking it off with her, that she felt gratified.

She was in a good mood when she wrote to him. It was right before Christmas, so she knew he'd already gotten the money from his mother. She hoped he'd read the note and see that she'd helped his mother raise it. She wrote about Chloe and Krum trying the whole long-distance thing, about how Ulysses Bulstrode had recently taken to writing her despite the fact that Daphne claimed they were in love, about how Nicole and Apollo were getting married in March, and even about Blaise and Gregory and their goings on. She asked him how he was, and if anything exciting was going on. She warned him that this was absolutely the last letter she was going to write until she got a reply. She knew that he probably wasn't going to reply. She resigned herself to the fact that he wouldn't reply. But a small part of her hoped that he would.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Draco had every intention of reading the next letter, if she ever sent one. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. It wasn't Draco Malfoy that received the mail that day, but Eloise. Eloise Jardine had not meant to read Draco's mail. She was simply curious. She knew Jasper had been trying to help her get together with Draco, however something had changed one day and he'd told her it wasn't to be. She didn't understand why until she read the letter. Whoever Astoria was, she was clearly important to Draco. Eloise knew the right thing to do would be to confess. She should give him the letter, and let everything be. However, Eloise Jardine was tired of being second best. She knew that if she could only make him forget about this Astoria, he'd come to realize that he had other options. Besides, if Astoria had broken his heart, she'd had her chance and wasted it. So, when she was bringing the mail in, she accidently let that letter slip into the bottom of the orphanage's little pond. Within hours it was an indistinguishable, soggy mess.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

To everybody except Chloe and Nicole, Astoria Greengrass was entirely over Draco Malfoy. She had moved on completely, and had clearly narrowed down her options to Cyprus and Maggiore. It was clear that she was simply waiting for one of them to propose. Meanwhile, she had thrown herself full throttle into her brother's wedding. Michelle might have been Nicole's Maid of Honor, but it was Astoria and Chloe who were sharing the duties of the role. As a result, it was Nicole and Chloe who watched Astoria break down over the smallest things. She would never say it out loud, but she missed him terribly. At first, whenever she'd seen anything that reminded her of him she'd excuse herself to cry. However, as time passed she'd begun to merely get quiet. Only those two, who'd known her the longest and knew her the best, could tell the difference.

The invitations were sent out February 14th. It wasn't as if everybody didn't already know the date of the wedding. The invitations were miniature valentine's that danced when they were open. It suited both Nicole and Apollo's personalities perfectly. However, it was Astoria who chose to put them in the classiest of envelopes, lined with beautiful silver trim. It was also Astoria who was in charge of addressing and sending all of them as well, as Nicole had terrible handwriting. And, it was Astoria who sent an invitation to Master Draco Malfoy, hoping against hope that it might finally inspire a response from him.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

The fifth letter came in a beautiful envelope. It was addressed

To Master Draco Malfoy

He knew what came addressed that way. Wedding invitations. It was tradition for the bride to address the envelopes, and he would know her handwriting anywhere. He didn't just toss that one. He burned it.


	12. Chapter Eleven

A/N: As I expected, college has kind of eaten up my free time to write. Don't worry though. This is why I'm so many chapters ahead in writing! I just wrote a very merry chapter ;) Anywho. This isn't quite what you've been waiting for, but I hope you can still enjoy it!

* * *

Astoria had known for a long while that her hope was futile. For whatever reason, Draco Malfoy was done talking to her. He hadn't told her why, or said anything at all to her, but he was done nonetheless. Still, she'd hoped that he might decide to come to Nicole and Apollo's wedding anyways, if for no other reason than to see his parents.

She knew he hadn't been writing Narcissa, because Narcissa was nearly a nervous wreck. She'd called on Astoria one day while Astoria was at work, and had waited in their front parlor for four hours until Astoria returned, only to fall into Astoria's arms in tears. Apparently he had stopped communicating with anyone in London. Astoria assured Narcissa that he wasn't dead, and just like that their dwindling friendship was rekindled.

If Chloe hadn't seen with her own eyes how beneficial speaking to Narcissa Malfoy was for Astoria, she would never have let it happen. Chloe was sure if her relationship with Krum had gone belly up the way Astoria and Draco's had, the last person she'd seek out was his family. But Astoria was different. She liked speaking with the Malfoys. Lucius Malfoy still garnered a very healthy amount of her respect, but her relationship with Narcissa Malfoy had changed dramatically. Most days she forgot that Narcissa was Draco's mother at all. Narcissa Malfoy had simply become a good, if much older, friend. A friend that she desperately needed as it grew closer and closer to the wedding.

Astoria and Daphne had reconciled their differences at a large party thrown by the Goyle family that the two had attended. However, Astoria was starting to wish they hadn't. The comments from Daphne had gotten progressively worse in the interim. Because she didn't work, Daphne had been spending an increasing amount of time with Pansy and her old friends. Astoria didn't want to say anything, but she felt Daphne was becoming just like a miniature Pansy. The two were at a gown fitting, as Nicole had decided she wanted Daphne included in her wedding. Daphne was currently at her favorite game: flaunt my flawless relationship with Mr. Bulstrode while making everyone else feel bad.

"Well anyways Astoria Pansy says, and I wholeheartedly agree, that relationships like ours are model relationships that others should envy. I mean, to be so sure, everything is practically set in stone right?" Daphne cooed. Astoria tried to focus on shimmying into the dress, a lovely light pink, but she knew her cousin would expect an answer.

"Of course Daphne" Astoria sighed.

"You've been so mopey lately. You can't possibly still be hung up on Malfoy. What are you holding out hope for? He's a flake, he always has been. I was talking to Pansy the other day, and she said it was constantly a battle for his attention. I doubt he'll ever get married. Go after the Montgomery boy. I mean, I'm no expert or anything, but he's always hanging around you. Cyprus Rosier is nice too, but Maggiore is so attractive. You'd have such beautiful children. Honestly, if it weren't for Ulysses I don't know what I would do. I'm sure he'll propose any day now."

Astoria had tried her absolute best to ignore her cousin. She was still trying to ignore her cousin. But that last comment put her over the edge.

"Take the dress off." She hissed, already pulling hers down. She hadn't even gotten to see what it looked like. Nicole had been right though, the pale pink didn't clash at all with Daphne's hair.

"Astoria, what's wrong with you?"

"Dress off Daphne!" As her cousin complied, Astoria called out to Chloe.

"Chloe, watch our things. Daphne and I are going to be right back."

"Where are we – " Astoria didn't wait for her to finish. As soon as Daphne had stepped out of the dress she apparated the both of them to her bedroom.

"All you want to talk about is Ulysses Bulstode this and Ulysses Bulstrode that and how perfectly well matched the two of you are Daphne, and I cannot take it anymore."

"That's what this is about Astoria? Calm down. Just because you're too narrow-minded to have a love life doesn't mean you have to ruin what others have going on. I'm surprised you haven't strangled Nicole yet with all the jealousy you have floating around. When I get married I was really counting on you being my maid of honor, but if you can't get over this before he proposes – "

"Ah yes, the famous upcoming proposal. That must be what he owls me to have dinner about. Of course, I've been refusing, but now that I know, why, I'll gladly go with him." Astoria wasn't sure what she was doing. She'd promised herself she wouldn't tell Daphne about the letters, yet there she was throwing it in her cousin's face in the worst way. She wasn't even sorry. Daphne's eyes narrowed.

"Well you don't have to make up stories just because-" Astoria cut her off with the wave of her wand, summoning the letters from where she'd kept them.

"I'm not making up stories for anything. Here they are. There's at least five of them there. I just haven't been responding. But, like I said, he probably just wants to have dinner with me to discuss you." Astoria was more than prepared for Daphne's typical response. Daphne would roll her eyes, write it off, and then do her best to put Astoria in her place. However the reaction she got was the least Daphne-like response she could have imagined. Daphne looked confused at first, then troubled. She tore open the letters, reading them one by one. When the last one finished she began again, desperately searching for something. When she didn't find it she looked at Astoria, as if her cousin could give her the answer.

"But I thought…" she trailed off, tears beginning to pool in the corner of her eyes. Astoria's resolve evaporated, and she instantly felt bad.

"It is possible he just wants to know more about you Daphne. A couple of your other Hogwarts friends owled me before, and when I met up with them we spent the entire meal discussing you." It wasn't entirely a lie. The boy who's proposal Daphne had outright rejected had in fact written Astoria under the premise of a date, and they had spent the entire meal discussing Daphne. It was possible that Ulysses was doing the same.

"Honestly Daphne, there's only like five letters there" Astoria began, her tone much softer. Daphne looked up, and Astoria was horrified to see that she was crying.

"There's seven letters Astoria, and he sent the last one about two weeks ago. Who knows who else he's been owling? It's not like either of us made any promises to the other. I assumed he'd stopped going out with other people when I did, but he has every right to go out with whoever he likes." At that point, Astoria felt completely nasty. She took a deep breath, trying to think of what to say to make her cousin feel better, but there was nothing.

"We should go back. We're supposed to be helping Nicole choose her dress soon." Daphne muttered. She took a deep breath, wiped her tears, and grabbed Astoria's hand. Unsure of what else to do, Astoria complied. She apparated back to the storefront, and the two made their way to the fitting rooms. They both ignored Chloe's inquisitive glances, dressing much more quickly before joining Chloe and Michelle where they sat waiting for Nicole.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Two hours later, the girls still hadn't found a dress they liked on Nicole. Many of the dresses were lovely in theory. Some were stunning on the hanger. None of the dresses looked bad on Nicole at all. But, none of them was the right dress. Forced to stay in the bridesmaids dresses so that Nicole could see everything together, the girls eventually performed numerous cooling charms on themselves to keep from sweating in the dresses. They were making idle chatter when they were all distracted by Nicole's gasp.

"This is the dress." Nicole's voice was loud and clear as she screamed in excitement. The girls all sat a little straighter, eager to see what Nicole had chosen. When she stepped out, Astoria could have cried.

"It's perfect!" Michelle was the first one to say anything. She stood and quickly made her way to her sister's side.

"Look. It even looks nice with my dress, and it'll look perfect with everyone else's too. This is going to be the best! Everyone come up and see!" As the girls gathered round, Astoria smiled her first true smile of the day. It was a dress she'd never have chosen, but it was absolutely perfect for Nicole. Coupled with the other dresses, it was a beautiful set.

"Have you decided then?" The girls had almost forgotten there was an employee in the shop with them. Nicole's father had paid for the shop to be closed until she found her dress, and the employees had certainly made themselves scarce. At the sound of her voice, they all startled.

"Yes. Absolutely yes!" Nicole cried. She looked happier than Astoria had ever seen her.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

On March 20th, Astoria woke up and slipped into her bridesmaids' dress. The wedding location they'd chosen was in London, so Apollo was confined to his apartment until the ceremony as all of the women got ready in the Greengrass' large home. As soon as she was dressed, Astoria joined the commotion in Nicole's room as everyone helped her get ready. Things seemed to be moving too quickly for Astoria. Next thing she knew, she was standing behind the doors of the beautiful historic castle they'd decided to have the wedding in.

When the music began, Daphne was first to walk in with Apollo's friend Westwood. Anya was next, escorted by his friend Ernest, then Chloe with his friend Wilson. Suddenly, it was Astoria's turn to walk in with Edmund Higgy. She'd known Edmund for quite some time, but suddenly it felt like she was with a stranger. Still, she took his arm, smiled, and allowed him to escort her up the aisle before they went their different ways. Next was Michelle, escorted by Apollo's best friend Lucas Vaisey. Last to walk in was Apollo. He looked more nervous than Astoria had ever seen him. By studying his face, she knew the exact moment Nicole walked in. Apollo looked happier than Astoria had ever seen him. When she finally turned to look at Nicole, the intensity of her gaze made Astoria feel like she was intruding. It was in that moment that Astoria learned she was the type of woman to cry at a wedding.

It was only later, once everything had settled down, that Astoria realized who was missing. Whoever had taken care of seating had been smart enough not to leave an empty seat next to Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. Astoria didn't remember to look for him until they were already at the reception, but she knew it was no use. He wasn't there.

For the rest of the evening, Astoria fought to keep her smile up. She laughed and danced with whoever came up to her. When it was time, she was able to give a toast that embarrassed both Nicole and Apollo and still managed to show how they were perfect for each other. However, when the ceremonies were finally finished, she was the first to apparate away. Only Chloe noticed she was gone, and it was Chloe who abandoned the party to come after her. That night, Chloe made sure there was absolutely nobody around to see or hear Astoria cry.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Once again it was early April at the orphanage. Draco sat in the nursery, covering a shift for one of the newer volunteers. Everyone knew they could count on him to cover their shifts, because he had absolutely no life outside the orphanage. Therefore when a little girl with two black pigtails ran into the room in a panic, he had no idea what to make of it.

"Dray, Mister Malfoy, you have a visitor." The girl blushed at her slip. Technically around other adults they were supposed to be extra polite. They only called the adults by their proper names when they were hoping to be adopted. Draco immediately stood, nearly dropping the baby he was carrying. The boy's parents had been muggles, but luckily someone had been able to bring him to the right orphanage.

"Who is it Brigitte? I wasn't expecting anyone." His French had gotten so much better. Sometimes he lost his English accent. The girl winced, looking over her shoulder.

"I don't know but she looked very angry. She said she'd been trying to find you for a long time, and she is very displeased with you. I thought adults couldn't come here unless they were adopting?" Draco missed her question, his mind already racing. He didn't dare to hope, but he still wondered if it might be Astoria. Of course, then his mind caught up with him, reminding him of why he wouldn't want to hear from her in the first place. She'd be furious, and beyond that she was clearly married.

"I'll be right there. Can you tell her I have a baby with me?" Of course, now he had to wonder who exactly it might be. Brigitte went ahead, and he adjusted the little boy and calmed his nerves before following. Whoever he'd expected, it certainly wasn't Chloe. He hadn't written to her since he stopped writing Astoria, and she had only written him two letters before she'd given up. He almost didn't recognize her. By the look on her face, it wasn't a happy visit.

"Oh, are congratulations in order Master Malfoy?" Chloe asked bitingly, gesturing towards the baby.

"What? No. This is Nicholas. Nicholas say hi to Chloe. He, he's not mine." Draco was flustered, he moved Nicholas's arm in a waving motion, hoping to appease Chloe. He knew if it were Astoria she'd already have the baby in her arms. However, judging by Chloe's determined frown, she was built of much sterner material.

"Listen you, you," she clearly couldn't think of something to say to him that was appropriate for younger ears. She turned to a startled Brigitte and said

"Little one, you must leave now." Before Draco could stop her, Brigitte fled the room. Chloe turned back to face Draco, and he saw how angry she really was.

"Listen to me you pathetic excuse for a man. How dare you do this to Astoria? Because you're not there? Because you don't have to hear her crying every day? She cried to me in a howler you bastard!" She was cut short when Brigitte ran back in with Jasper, whose wand was at the ready.

"She's going to hurt him! She's going to hurt Mister Malfoy." Jasper chuckled, although Draco half hoped he'd take Brigitte seriously. He wasn't sure how angry Chloe was, and Nicholas evidently wasn't a good enough buffer.

"Ah, Astoria, that woman you carry around in your pocketbook." Draco never blushed; it was a very unmanly thing to do. However, he felt his face get warm at Jasper's comment. Chloe raised an eyebrow, and then held out her hand expectantly. Slowly, Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Immediately upon receiving it, Chloe flipped it open, clearly prepared to search for the mysterious photo.

She didn't have to bother. Front and center Astoria smiled and waved at her friend, laughing quietly every so often. Chloe looked at the picture, then at smirking Jasper, then at Draco.

"You've kept this?" Her voice was much softer, and her tone was informal. She shook her head in disbelief before turning to face Brigitte.

"You did the right thing. This man knew just what to do so that I didn't kill Mr. Malfoy. Now why don't you take Nicholas so that my old friend and I can chat." As Jasper took Nicholas and escorted Brigitte out, Draco turned to face Chloe.

"Why did you leave her like that if you still care about her you idiot? Is there something wrong with you, or do you really just not care about hurting her at all?" Draco was just starting process the fact that Astoria had cried. Over him. It was a decidedly unpleasant feeling and confusing considering the last thing he'd gotten from her.

"She didn't get married? I got the wedding invitation and it was in her handwriting and I just thought that…" Draco felt stupid, and even stupider once Chloe responded.

"She didn't get married to anyone. If you had taken the five seconds to open the invitation, you would have seen that it was for Apollo and Nicole who are now happily married and taking the longest and most expensive Honeymoon I've ever heard of. Did you read nothing she wrote to you? If you thought she was getting married, why wouldn't you fight harder?" Suddenly Draco didn't know what to think.

"I couldn't stand the thought of her marrying someone else, but I don't have the right to demand that she doesn't. Not after being gone, especially not after everything that happened. I didn't want her to have to deal with the animosity I had to deal with. I'm not, I wasn't ready to tell her what happened, and I refused to let her get involved with me by jumping into it as blind as - "

"- That's ridiculous. If you honestly believe what you just said you are very naive. People have been writing, talking. You think that by the time she worked in Mungo's for more than a day she hadn't already heard enough gossip about you to fill several textbooks? You were in the papers for months; they opened a reader's poll with people writing in about whether or not they believed you'd turned over a new leaf. Why would she care? She knows the story from Daphne. She's spoken to your mother about it even. That was her side too Draco, she understands."

When he didn't say anything, Chloe exhaled slowly, then continued in a much calmer tone of voice

"Now, you listen here. If for nothing else, listen because I'm your friend. Whatever this was with you, it wasn't about her. I don't know what you were running away from, but I think it had a lot less to do with Astoria and a lot more to do with your own problems. I can't help you with those problems, no matter how much I want to. But I need you to listen to me. You're going to go back to England. I don't care what you do to apologize to her, but you need to do it. Do you hear me? You are crushing her." Chloe sniffed, but she didn't shed any tears. Draco appreciated that she was strong, and that Astoria had friends like Chloe. He nodded towards her. She nodded back. As Chloe sent him a tentative smile, Draco wondered when he and the French witch had become friends. He was oddly pleased.

"Are you going to tell her where you found me?" Draco was escorting Chloe out when he thought to ask. He knew Chloe wouldn't tell him that Astoria still cared if she didn't, so he needed to be prepared if Astoria did stop by.

"What good would that do her? I had to fill out all of the paperwork to potentially adopt a child just to be allowed to know you worked here. Now that we're done speaking, I'm going to have to go back to the adoption office and talk about how taken I was by Brigitte and Nicholas because they're the only children I've seen today. Hopefully when I say that my boyfriend doesn't plan to retire from Quidditch any time soon and isn't too fond of children the French government will decide I'm too irresponsible to adopt." Chloe laughed, but Draco was once again blown away by the sacrifice that Chloe was willing to make for her friend. Not for the first time he wondered if what he'd done two years ago was more than a bit selfish.


	13. Chapter Twelve

A/N: You can put down your pitchforks, answers and explanations ahead. This is something that kept me writing this story past all odds. This scene right here. So, I really hope you like it!

Side note: I have a writing blog. Its main function is for me to show you pictures of things, like wedding dresses and faces and babies (oh my!). It's here: chicagochi4183 .blogspot .com You should visit it. Also, were anybody to have the desire to send me banners or pictures of characters or anything, that's the place to do it. I will also occasionally talk about upcoming things there or at the very least have polls about some things there.

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The first thing Draco did as soon as Chloe left was return to relieve Jasper from the nursery. As he watched the babies sleep, Draco began his first letter to Astoria. It was, admittedly, a very short letter. He thanked her for inviting him to Apollo and Nicole's wedding. He thanked her for caring about him. He thanked her for being a better friend to his mother than he had been a child. Then he told her that he had too much to apologize for to explain in one letter. She sent it back unopened.

As time passed, Draco tried several more times to reach Astoria. He wrote her a new letter every time an old one came in unopened, even if it meant leaving dinner early or writing as he did things with the orphans. He didn't send things through the orphanage's mail system, but instead used his own owl so that the second something came it came straight to him. By the time late May rolled around she'd stopped sending them back, so he simply wrote to her every day. According to Chloe, who he'd also begun to write regularly, Astoria was reading all of his letters. Every single one was an apology. He didn't try to explain what was going through his head when he left, or why he'd gone the first time in the first place. He just wrote that he was sorry for everything he'd done, and that he hoped she knew nothing in the world would ever make up for it.

One night Eloise decided she'd had enough of his moping. She came over to him as he was writing, with the intention of encouraging him to let go. She got as far as asking him why he bothered. In no uncertain terms, Draco informed her that he was writing to the girl he planned to marry. He had given up on her once, he told a shocked Eloise, and nothing could ever make him give up on her again. Then and there, any notions of a romance between Eloise Jardine and Draco Malfoy died.

Suddenly, it was time for Draco Malfoy to come home once again. This time, he did things right. He had already made his appointment to floo back on July 5th, and he stuck to it. Somehow coming home was more anticlimactic than he'd expected. He hadn't told his mother the exact day he was arriving, he simply apparated straight from the Ministry into the dining room. She came down to breakfast to see him sitting at the table, and she screamed so loudly his father had come running.

Their reunion was slightly awkward. Draco had missed a lot of things in his parents' lives, and his parents had just plain missed him. But, he was still home. That night, understandably, his mother had their house elf guard his room against another disappearing act. Meanwhile, Draco wrote one last letter to Astoria. He told her that he was already back in England, and that he had something important he needed to discuss with her. He told her that he would understand if she wasn't willing to see him quite yet, but he said he hoped she would. He asked her to meet him at seven o'clock outside a small ice cream shop, one he remembered she liked. Then, he left it at that. If she didn't turn up he wouldn't seek her out, but he also wouldn't stop writing her. He wasn't giving up again.

At six PM, Draco was starting to wish she'd have at least written back to tell him if she was planning to come. He knew he was being selfish. She had an actual career she had to worry about. Not knowing whether she was going to show up or not, he began to panic. At seven PM on the dot, Draco apparated across the road from the ice cream shop. He was prepared to wait until midnight, at which point he would pack himself up and head home. He needn't have bothered though. There she was outside the ice cream shop, right where he'd asked her to be. He hadn't really dared to hope she'd come, he knew he probably wouldn't in her place, but there she was.

He drew a deep breath, before finally sprinting towards her.

"Astoria!" he called, hesitant to approach her.

Astoria heard him call her name, but she didn't dare look up. She wasn't sure what exactly he'd been apologizing for in his letters, and all of a sudden she was sure she'd really rather not find out. If he had bad news, if he'd fallen for someone else, she was afraid it would actually crush her.

"Astoria?" he questioned himself then, maybe it wasn't her, maybe two years in an orphanage had truly made him lose his mind.

Astoria decided she had to face the inevitable, so she turned. There he was. He looked older somehow, and she noticed that he still looked like he'd lost his smile. She thought fondly of the pictures Narcissa had shown her of Draco's younger years. Just once she wanted to see him truly smile.

"Hello." She said, and then instantly regretted it. She should have been angry. She had been so upset when he finally deigned to write her back that she'd decided she was never going to forgive him. She'd already weakened her resolve, deciding she'd only forgive him if he earned it. Seeing him there though, face to face, she was just tired. She wanted him to get it over with, say what he wanted to say, and then leave before she got attached again.

"Er, yes. Hello." He had felt like an idiot before, but at that moment he felt absolutely ridiculous. He stepped forward, and then stopped, unsure what to do. She was prettier than he remembered, and better in every way than the picture he'd still never admit he carried with him everywhere.

"What did you need to say?" She didn't want to be nice, she wanted to hurt him as badly as he'd hurt her. But she didn't want to lose him again either.

"I…" he trailed off. He hadn't actually planned what he was going to say. In his head, everything had gone much better than it was already going. He would tell her he loved her, and then they'd get married straight away. He hadn't actually applied the logic of his return to this real world setting.

"Maybe we should go eat?" Astoria suddenly didn't want to hear the news. She knew it wouldn't be pleasant for her either way, but somehow stalling seemed like a good idea. It did take a while for them to be seated, then to place their dinner orders, but she knew eventually it would come out.

Draco stared. Aside from the prettiness, the gentle but stern manner, he noticed something that had always been there, but now seemed pronounced. He remembered when they first met, when she'd entered his pocket of space and engaged him like a person. She'd made him feel like a man, as stupid as that sounded. In that moment though, she made him feel too big. She had this overall frailness, as if anything could break her. For the first time he felt as if he could break her.

"What happened to you?" He immediately regretted saying it, especially when she made eye contact with him and didn't say anything else.

"You're not; your bloody spark is gone. You just seem so worn out." Now he not only felt guilty, and stupid, he also felt slightly gay. He nearly held his breath when she spoke.

"Will you just tell me what you're here to say? What, have you gotten married or something? Congrats in order I suppose?" Astoria was just short of furious. There was something very wrong with how the entire meeting had gone. She looked down, tired of looking at him. He wasn't allowed to see her cry.

"Do you want me to leave?" he said, just short of broken. He wanted her to tell him to stay, but he knew that in her position he'd never have come in the first place. There was something in her demeanor that was different. She seemed all of a sudden less frail as she was angry.

"I want…" she hadn't meant to yell, but she was tired. She'd hoped when she saw him, he'd sweep her off her feet like in a fairytale. Instead, this was every bit as gritty and awkward she'd known it would be. She abruptly stopped speaking, and in the silence that followed Astoria realized that what she wanted, more than anything, was to know once and for all. She abruptly stood, walked around the table, and sat next to him. She leaned in to him then, breathing in the scent that she'd missed.

Ever so gently, she lifted herself onto her knees, ignoring the awkwardness of the chair, and made him look her in the eyes. Then, she leant forward and placed her mouth on his. His eyes slid closed before hers did. His arms encased her waist and as her eyes finally closed, she felt utterly spent.

She pulled away first, and tried to move but Draco wasn't having it. Eyes still closed he pulled her closer for another kiss, and this time it wasn't soft or brief. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she wanted to feel something. She pushed against him and he pushed back just as hard, drawing her into his lap. When she pulled back for air he attacked her again, their tongues fighting. Then tears were falling and he was pulling her impossibly closer.

"I thought I'd lost you." he said, burying his face in her shoulder. She ran her hands into his hair as she felt him slowly kiss his way up and down her neck. She was still confused, but for the first time she felt like maybe everything wasn't hopeless.

"I thought I'd lost you. I missed you but I couldn't bear" he spoke between kisses, and Astoria struggled to keep up. She was confused, and he was crying, and she felt like she was missing something. All of her senses felt like they were overloaded. He was back.

"You didn't get married?" she asked, because she still had to hear him say it.

"Never, not to anyone else." he promised, pulling back to look her in the eyes. She slid off his lap then, and he let her go. He reached into his pocket and threw something on the table, before helping back into her coat. She grabbed him and without thinking he apparated the two of them to his room. She'd never been there before, but she knew where she was. She wasn't quite in the mood to look around.

"Why didn't you write me back?" she asked. He noticed that she was still crying, and she still looked broken. He was mad at himself. She was right there in front of him and somehow he was still ruining it.

"Why Draco? I never stopped writing you and you never wrote me back. What was so important to you that you just stopped talking to me?" She sounded less hurt and instead angrier again. He had never before seen her angry.

"I was there on your nineteenth birthday. I got to London early and I was hoping to surprise you. Do you know how infatuated that man is with you? I can't let myself believe he loves you, but he clearly adores you. When I saw you that day, I have never seen you look happier and," Draco couldn't bring himself to finish, but one look at her and he knew she needed to know.

"He's so much better for you than I could ever be. It's not even about the reputation, it's just… He isn't responsible for the death of classmates, children, people's families. I live with that guilt every single day." He wasn't going to back down, as much as he wanted to look away. He'd waited two years to tell her the truth.

"Every time someone sees me and judges me I want to get angry, I want to be furious, but I can't. There are people who went to school with me who never lived past seventeen because of things that I did, things that I fought for. I am always going to live with that guilt because what I did, what we did, it cannot be undone. It's not about taking sides; it's the specific actions I was a part of, the things I did that nobody else can claim. I can't ask you to, you can't possibly voluntarily be a part of that."

Astoria stood completely still for a moment, taking him in. She walked up to him slowly and noticed, for the first time, how he stood. He stood as if he was waiting for her to let him go. Going up onto the points of her toes, she grasped his face gently in her hands and then she slapped him with everything she had. She wanted it to hurt, wanted him to understand exactly how much of a hell her year had been. He took it, not looking back at her. When she spoke, it was clear her anger had finally gotten the best of her.

"Who exactly do you think I am that I need you to make that decision for me? Everyone thinks they know exactly who and what are good for me, even you. Especially you. Everyone acts like I'm just made of glass or something, like I'm going to crack right in two." She had walked away from him in anger, arms crossed as if she didn't want to be near him. But as she spoke her next words, she looked him dead in the eyes.

"I'm not that delicate." She knew she sounded hysterical, but she'd reached her breaking point.

"I think I can make up my own mind who I marry, and when I make up my mind it's not going be because he's absolutely perfect but because I love him. I get to make that choice, me! And for your information, Maggiore Montgomery is engaged, and it's not to me. He proposed to me in April, the day after I got your first stupid letter, and I turned him down. I've turned down everyone who asked me to marry them because apparently I am just sadistic enough to still want to be with you.

"It's not like I know why. You just have to be the most self-pitying person I know! You should stop trying to be noble, because you're terrible at it. Do you have any idea what you did to me when you left? You broke my heart. As long as we're laying everything out there, I think you should know that. You absolutely destroyed me. I blamed myself every time you didn't write back. Who just stops communicating with someone? I never knew what I could have done to you that was so horrible you, you just, you –"

"- I'm in love with you." Whatever Draco expected, he didn't expect for Astoria to grab a decorative bauble and throw it at him. She let out a frustrated cry as she hurled another at him, and then tried again. He stood in shock as she actually managed to hit him, the bulb shattering against his chest. She stood, staring at him. And then before he could prepare himself she ran towards him and threw her arms around him. He quickly hugged her back, now completely unsure what was going on.

"I'm sorry?" he tried, and she leaned back, making eye contact.

"Say it again." she demanded.

"I really am, I never meant to" he stopped speaking as she shook her head fiercely, still imploring him with her eyes. He understood.

"I love you, Astoria." She burrowed impossibly closer to him. Suddenly she grabbed his head and pulled his lips down to hers. She kissed him over and over; short closed-mouth kisses that conveyed her desperation.

He stopped her by wrapping his arms tighter around her and lifting her. If it was up to him, she would stay with him for the rest of his life. He never wanted to let go of her again. He flopped down on his bed, and she rolled off him to lie next to him, both of them staring at the ceiling. It wasn't as though Astoria would ever let go of Draco either, she wasn't even sure she could. She rolled into his side, trying to get impossibly close to him. She was honestly afraid that if she lost contact, even for a moment, he'd disappear. But, there was something she had to say.

"When you saw me on my birthday, I wasn't that happy because I was with Maggiore, I was happy because I was going to see you." At that point, Draco was done berating himself for his choices. He knew they both had a lot of things they needed to say. However, he knew she needed his apology.

"I'm sorry. For the longest time I thought what was bothering me was that we'd chosen the wrong side. I thought I was angry because of the animosity, and it was easy to convince myself that if everyone else forgave me I'd be forgiven. But I knew that was wrong. Your family was on the same side, a lot of people's were. But nearly everyone guilty of the same levels of crime that I committed is in Azkaban. People who were still in school may eventually be released, but their parents will be in Azkaban for the rest of their lives. Don't get me wrong, I don't think they deserve to be released. It's just, I wasn't angry at people for disliking me, I was angry at myself. I never wanted you to care about me the way I care about you because I didn't think I deserved it. I still don't think I deserve it, but it's too late now. I love you and I'm never letting you go." Draco had learned long ago that he was terrible at predicting what Astoria would do next. Still, the next words out of her mouth shocked him completely.

"We can't get married yet." Draco Malfoy was not good at being told what he could and couldn't do. It took everything in him to resist arguing with her.

"What?" He asked instead.

"I don't want anyone else. If I was smart I would have agreed to marry Cyprus or Maggiore when they asked me, but against all reason I've waited for you. Unless I've misunderstood everything you've just done, I think it's pretty clear that you feel like we're ready to get married. But I don't. I know more about your mother than I know about you Draco. And, I know how I feel about you but I can't say it because I'm afraid to trust you again. I think we need to start this all over: no distractions, no other people, no Seasons or anything. Just me and you." Draco wanted to argue. He really did. He could have married Astoria that minute and it would have been too long of a wait. But he understood that it wasn't about him. The past two years of their relationship had been entirely about him and what he needed. It was time for them to finally do something for her.

"Alright." He acquiesced. They lay there in silence for a few more minutes before she shifted to a sitting position.

"I need to go home." It was true. Astoria's mother was not very happy with her. In total she'd turned down three proposals, two from men her mother would have gladly seen her marry. If Astoria stayed out any later her mother would at least want an explanation.

"Shall I see you out?" Draco sat up next to her. He no longer felt like he was losing her, but he didn't feel like he had her either. He didn't know what to feel.

"I don't want to go, I just, my mother is already angry with me." She didn't want him to think she was leaving him. In reply he leaned down and kissed her head because he could.

"I know." The two of them made their way out of his room and down the many long hallways, until they were finally by his door. Faced with the prospect of saying Goodbye, even temporarily, Astoria's nerves went crazy.

"Maybe I should" Draco cut her off by kissing her, partially because he could, partially because he knew she couldn't finish what she was saying. If she asked to stay, there was no way he would be able to tell her no.

"I'll be home tomorrow at six. Be there?" She refused to say goodbye, even if that's technically what was happening.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Astoria. I love you." It hit him then, that he was really saying it to her. After a year of self-imposed waiting, he was finally getting to say "I love you," while she was right in front of him. That night, right before she turned towards home, Astoria Greengrass saw Draco Malfoy's first real smile in a very long time.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**A/N: I don't even know if this is late. It probably is though, for which I'm sorry. Honestly, this is so close to finished (on my end, not yours) that it's scaring me. I even know what I'm doing for the epilogue. Once again, I'm going to encourage you all to visit my writing blog http(:/) for any and all updates on this. There's actually a poll I'm going to post soon, and it's just generally a good place to get a picture of what I'm doing as a writer. And now: Onwards!**

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For the first time since she'd begun working, Astoria Greengrass was having a hard time concentrating. It was a slow workday, meaning that Astoria had been called in to antidote duty. She was relieved. All she had to do was brew a set list of potions, meaning she could clock out when she finished the last brew. While she could normally be out by five, her unease prompted her to accidently add too many nettles, meaning she'd had to start an entire batch of antidote over. She was too nervous to be truly upset.

At five thirty on the dot, Astoria finished brewing her last antidote. All day Catherine had been asking her what had her so restless, but she didn't know what to say. The night before had not gone as badly as she'd expected, but it hadn't gone that well either. She felt as though she was waiting for more bad news, or to be stood up. At the same time, she felt like she was finally getting what she'd been afraid to admit she wanted.

She got home with enough time to wish she hadn't. She didn't need to worry about her mother: the two women were barely speaking. When Astoria had rejected both of her suitors her mother had cooled considerably. Apollo and Nicole were enjoying being married, Chloe was currently trying to form any excuse to visit Bulgaria, Anya had returned to Bulgaria right after the wedding, and Daphne had become nearly insufferable once more. According to Pansy Ulysses had been seen shopping for a ring, and Daphne was desperate to find out if it was for her without alerting her friends that there was a reason to think it wouldn't be. Thus, the thirty minutes Astoria could have been spending worrying with someone else, she spent alone.

She worried as she changed out of her healer's robes, and then managed to worry her way through several other garments. She worried as she made her way to her kitchen, then front parlor, to wait. She worried as the clock hit five fifty-nine, worried that she was making a mistake and that when the clock struck six he'd be nowhere to be found. At six exactly she threw open the door and there he was. He was ever-so-sheepishly holding a flower, and they both startled at the sight of the other.

"This is for you. The florist told me all sorts of things I was supposed to say about wisdom and strength and beauty but I refuse to insult you by pretending a flower could compare to you. Still, it is beautiful and you deserve beautiful things." Astoria held back a laugh. She was sure the florist would probably be shaking their head at Draco's speech, but it was decidedly honest. After plenty of dates and plenty of bouquets, it was nice to know that she did not, in fact, resemble a plant in her charm, wit, or appearance.

"Thank you. Come in." Astoria stepped aside to let him enter. He had no coat, but he slipped of his shoes and left them neatly by the door the exact same way she'd seen Lucius Malfoy do many times. The familiar gesture calmed her, reminding her that despite what he did she still knew him. Parts of him.

"I missed you." At first she'd thought he said it. She didn't realize she'd spoken until he smiled.

"I missed you too. Are we going to stand here?" Astoria bit her lip, looking down.

"I'm sorry. No, let's go to the" Astoria realized her mother was still home. That meant the kitchen was out of the question. She wanted to bring him up to her room, but despite the fact that she was an adult it still felt disrespectful to her parents.

"Just, follow me." He hadn't stopped smiling at her, and she wondered if seeing her so flustered was amusing him. She didn't like to take people to the room she and Apollo had dubbed the "far parlor." But, as it was her mother's least favorite part of the house, she felt she had no choice.

"Of course," She couldn't help but smile back at his response. The walk to the sitting room was quiet, but not awkwardly so. Every time Astoria glanced towards Draco he was looking at her, with that same lazy smile. Every time he caught her glancing back, the smile would get just a tiny bit bigger, and her cheeks would get just a tiny bit pinker. By the time they got to the parlor her face felt hot and she couldn't look at him anymore. She swept the door open and led him in, sitting on the sofa. He sat next to her, turning to face her. She looked at their knees.

"How was work? How is Mungo's in general? Do you like it?" It was such a strange question for Astoria, immediately reminding her that they'd had no contact for a year. If she'd doubted before that he'd read her letters, now she was sure he hadn't. But, she was tired of being angry.

"I love it. Being at Mungo's is a dream come true. Catherine and I are on the same floor, and we both get called from time to time to work with children on other floors. It's really a perfect job. How was the orphanage? How is Jasper, and Eloise, and Chloe said you had the most adorable baby boy named Nicholas?"

"Huh, I would have thought Chloe hadn't even seen Nicholas. She was really, er, focused when she came. I'm glad though, I owe her for that visit." Astoria smiled at that. She owed Chloe too. She wasn't sure how Chloe had done it, and Chloe wouldn't give her any details, but Chloe had brought him back.

"Well, everyone is good. I think Eloise was a bit miffed I was leaving, as the other volunteers were much older than us. She's taking over teaching English as she speaks it, and I think Jasper will help her. Jasper sends his best wishes to you, and says that if you don't kill me you have the patience of a saint." Astoria smiled.

"I think I really would like Jasper if I met him. He seems funny. Chloe said he was one of the scariest looking men she's ever seen." He laughed at that.

"I thought so too. Once you get over it though, he's fantastic with children. I think he just likes you because you're a Healer. He says that they're a noble breed."

"Well we are!" Astoria insisted, smiling. This was different than she'd expected. She was comfortable, she realized, relaxed.

It stayed that way. The more they spoke, about everything from his work in the orphanage to her work at St. Mungo's, the more comfortable she felt. She couldn't help wondering why it wasn't awkward. It was like nothing had changed between them in the year they stopped communicating. She wondered if this was what it would've been like had he come back when he was supposed to. Everything about talking to him was effortless.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Within two weeks, Draco Malfoy had memorized Astoria's work schedule. He would take care of things during the day, mostly keeping his mother company and running the house while his father was gone. However, as soon as Astoria got off work he'd show up, whisking her away to do something. Therefore, it was quite a shock the first time she told him she had plans.

Of course, he was nothing but a gentleman. He smiled at her and her friend Catherine, and wished them good luck in their endeavors. However, it left him at a bit of a loss for what to do. So, when he ran into Blaise Zabini in the middle of Diagon Alley, he was eager to accept his offer to get a drink.

Blaise, Draco remembered, was too attractive for his own good. His mother was far from poor, so despite her nefarious reputation anyone would have loved to set their daughter up with him even if he was a troll. But the truth was, Blaise was an attractive wizard, and he knew it. As they both grabbed a seat at a bar, he shot a smug smirk at a table of witches, before turning back to his friend.

"So. How was France then? Saw you in the Prophet and I was sure to owl them that you were a no-good son-of-a-bitch every time."

"I'll be sure to tell my mum what you think of her next time she asks what you've been up to." Draco shot back, eyebrow raised. They managed to hold their composure for a few seconds before both men burst out laughing.

"Really though, how was France. Pick up any foreign witches? Women love babies, it's a fact." Draco almost faltered. Astoria had become the focus of his entire life. He'd almost forgotten that other people wouldn't know.

"There was one woman, Eloise, that wasn't old enough to be my mum. She reeked of desperation, and she was a half-blood. I don't know that my dad is ready for that." Draco felt a bit guilty, but the minute Eloise had tried to convince him to give up on Astoria he had stopped liking her.

"Ah, well, that's that. You know, there are a couple that haven't been snatched up yet. Everyone's been getting married, eager to return to normal I guess, so you'd better get them quick. Although, there's always Millicent." Draco fought not to laugh at that one.

"Ah, yes, how is Millicent?" Blaise snorted at that. The bartender came by, and both men ordered a firewhiskey.

"Pansy's been hanging out with her to help one of the Greengrasses snag Bulstrode. I personally don't know what he's holding out for. Millicent is a total bitch to everyone else he dates, and really where's he going to find someone more attractive? Do you remember Daphne from school?"

"Yeah. I don't know. Personally I think Astoria is prettier." Draco didn't know if his relationship with Astoria was supposed to be a secret. They'd never gone back to her house and except for Chloe he doubted anyone knew they were dating. Still, she'd never said it was a secret.

"She seemed quiet when I talked to her. She's definitely the harder to get Greengrass. She's turned down three so far, straight up. No negotiating, no arguing, she didn't even give them a real reason. I'll admit I was tempted, but my mum wants me to wait. I think she wants me to end up like her, marrying a bunch of old widows with too much money on their hands and waiting until they mysteriously pass away." The two shared a laugh at that. Blaise had been asked point-blank several times if his mother killed her husbands, and he always shrugged. It had become a joke between him and his friends.

"Why, do you want to go for that?" Blaise asked, taking a long swig of his firewhiskey. Draco knew he was supposed to shrug and play it cool. But he suddenly wondered why he should. Astoria had practically promised to marry him in the future. So, he didn't.

"Yes." Blaise looked a bit stunned, but he recovered quickly. He let out a long, low whistle.

"Damn. Okay then. Well, you might want to get on that. Now that Daphne's practically married already a lot of people are stepping up to the challenge with Astoria. I don't know if anyone in France bothered to tell you that they let Goyle out of Azkaban, but they did. He's been pretty popular with women, probably for the first time in his life." The fact that Draco held back a laugh, he thought, was an absolute testament to how mature he'd become. Of course then the implications of Blaise's statement hit him and suddenly everything was less funny.

"Oh?" If Blaise had been paying any kind of attention he might've seen through Draco's feigned disinterest. But two women had come in and sat just down the bar, capturing his interest.

"Yeah. He's not exactly a ladies' man but what can you do? And someone's bound to snatch up Astoria eventually, she doesn't seem like the spinster type. What's your plan then?" Blaise took another long swig, finishing up his firewhiskey.

"I don't need a plan." Draco didn't care if he sounded arrogant. He didn't want or need to justify his means of attracting Astoria.

"But I do think that I should go talk to Goyle. I haven't seen him for, has it been three years?" Draco was temporarily stunned. It hit him quite suddenly that he had been gone from his home for two entire years. Meanwhile, everyone else's lives had gone on.

"Yeah, you should mate. Between you and me, I'm not sure Master Gregory can manage much of anything. He always did listen to you merlin knows why." Draco laughed, finishing off his own drink. He didn't love firewhiskey, but his dad has always taught him it was a man's drink, and it was certainly better than some of the "Cauldron Brews" or witches' drinks he'd tried.

"Let me top you off and we'll talk about this Astoria thing." Before Draco could protest Blaise had walked off with their mugs. He wondered if he'd dug himself into a hole with their conversation. He knew Blaise was good with women. Still, he wondered if he really needed the advice. He didn't have too much time to ponder it, as Blaise made his way back with the two mugs, sliding Draco his with finesse.

"So, do you know anything about her? Have you spoken since you got back?" Blaise was suddenly all business.

"Look mate, I appreciate the help but I know Astoria. I know her really well, and we've kind of. It's not that we're engaged yet, but I think we both think this is where it's headed so I don't really need the advice. But thanks." Blaise snorted, completely disregarding everything Draco had said, and catching the poor blonde unawares.

"I'm going to give you one bit of advice Malfoy. All women, even married women, want to be swept off their feet. Always." With that Blaise stood and approached the group of witches, leaving Draco alone with his thoughts.

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**A/N: Yeah, another one. Please review. Even if it's just a smiley face. It's just, a little heartbreaking to come u=out with a new chapter and get absolutely NO feedback about it.**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

A/N: I'm back. We're back. I have almost finished writing Delicate, and once I'm finished I'm thinking I'll post every day of December until I run out of Chapters, with an epilogue on Christmas. So, yeah. There's that to look forward to. :D

* * *

One morning Astoria woke up and realized two very important things. The first was that she had been dating Draco Malfoy for three months, although she personally felt it was a lot longer if you counted his time in France, which she did. The second was that nobody in her life, except of course Chloe and Catherine, had any idea.

She would never know if it was a coincidence, or if fate was trying to tell her something, but that very same morning her mother, Daphne's mother, both Grandmothers, and several of her aunts decided to have an intervention.

When she went down to breakfast that morning Astoria was taken aback. The women sat there pleasantly, each of them staring at her mother.

"Is something wrong?" They all looked too pleased for the death of a relative, but with her family Astoria was never sure. She made her way to the table.

"Darling, do you ever plan to get married?" It was the most blunt her mother had been with her in a while. Astoria couldn't help the blush that colored her face.

"Well, yes." She thought of him instantly.

"Then you need to stop telling men no willy-nilly. Who do you think is going to want to get married to that?" Astoria could always trust Daphne's mother to be unforgivingly blunt.

"Frankly, it's a wonder men of London are giving you so much attention dear. You had two wonderful men just lined up. Nobody marries a tease." Astoria wondered if Daphne's mother had written these down. If Draco hadn't come back she might have cried at the cruel words. As it stood, she was beginning to get uncomfortable.

"That's what you get for sending her to France. She doesn't want to settle down. Why else would she get a job?" It seemed everyone wanted to voice their opinion. As Astoria sat there, the women of her family let her know exactly what they thought of her choices. She tuned them out. Eventually though, her Aunt Wilhelmina broke the cycle by asking her the first prudent question of the morning.

"Are you seeing someone?"

"Yes." Astoria had no reason to lie. She was seeing him. Officially, exclusively, and in no uncertain terms.

"Is it serious?" The rest of the room had gone silent at Astoria's response.

"I would say so." Her aunt nodded, ignoring the shocked and confused faces of the women around her.

"Well then. Make some sort of announcement about it so that poor old women don't get woken up so early." The conversation was effectively over. Although every other woman in the room may have wanted to ask who she was seeing and for how long, it wasn't pertinent to their gathering. Nobody could ask without seeming like a busybody. Now on the verge of being late for work, Astoria finally excused herself to get ready. She'd have to eat an apple for breakfast.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Days later Astoria was still contemplating what her Aunt Wilhelmina had said. It was true, normally couples declared themselves in some way. She and Draco spent most of their time alone together. They would walk around the beautiful grounds of the Malfoy manor. They tried to cook each other dinner but almost always ended up calling for the House Elf. They pushed certain boundaries with each other. They spoke. They laughed. They cuddled. But, she realized, most of it was in private.

Astoria was not a showy person. She had never felt the need to rub anything in others' faces, especially not a relationship. But it was what was done. She knew they needed to make a statement without compromising who they were.

When she went into work that morning Catherine sat reading the newspaper. Normally Catherine would be rearing to go, bright and peppy, but instead she sat perfectly still. Astoria at first didn't notice anything wrong.

"Good morning Catherine" she smiled. Catherine merely turned the page, her face hidden.

"Catherine?" Astoria asked. She moved closer to her friend, and that's when she saw it. There, on Catherine's finger, was a ring. A beautiful, simple, elegant ring. Astoria was floored.

"Merlin" she breathed. Catherine finally put the paper down, revealing her smile.

"I know." She smiled.

"When?" Astoria had meant to ask a full question, but that's as far as she got. Luckily Catherine knew what she meant.

"Last night he surprised me by showing up with his mother for dinner. My parents knew he was coming though, I was the only one surprised. I mean, imagine my frustration when my mother insisted I dress up for dinner, and I come down in a dress and everything and there he is with his mother at the table. I didn't know what to think. He didn't let on either. I mean, I was thinking that he was going to propose and he was joking around with my parents and Benjy and then dessert was over and my mother asked if they wanted to stay and his mum said they had to leave and I was so disappointed. Then my mum insisted that they stay and sent me for champagne and when I came back it was just him, the lights were all off, and he was on one knee and there were candles. He said that I wasn't the girl of his dreams because he'd never even thought to dream of a girl as perfect as me. Isn't that the most romantic thing you've ever heard?"

Astoria sighed dreamily. "That is so beautiful." She couldn't help it. She grabbed Catherine in a fierce hug, beaming.

"You're getting married!" She exclaimed. Then, Catherine's face grew serious.

"You have to be in my wedding Astoria, I won't take no for an answer. You'll get to meet Lil, Lillian, who is my best friend in the entire world and my friend Brooke who is the wildest girl you will ever meet. Besides, if it wasn't for you I might never have even met Engel." Astoria smiled.

"Of course I will Catherine!" The two eventually did have to get to work. Neither girl stopped smiling all day.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

When Draco came to pick up Astoria from work, she decided she had to level with him about her family. She asked him to take her somewhere where they could address something a bit serious. However, as soon as they arrived at Malfoy Manor, Astoria found she didn't want to say anything.

"Astoria, love, what's wrong?" He only called her love when he was worried.

"I have good news and bad news, which do you want first?" Astoria was out of luck. Draco sat heavily in an armchair, but Astoria was too nervous to even care how attractive he looked.

"Bad." He raised an eyebrow at her, and she sighed.

"I was ambushed today by most of my female family members. Apparently I am ruining my reputation by not being forthcoming about our relationship. I'm supposed to be showing you off to all of London."

"That's bad news?" Draco seemed more than slightly insulted.

"I didn't want this to be this huge, showy thing. You're mine. I don't need to parade you around." She was caught off guard when Draco pulled her down into his lap.

"Damn right I'm yours." Draco's interests had clearly moved beyond the conversation. He leaned in to kiss her, but when she leaned back he huffed.

"That's what we get for being pureblood. It's fine. We can go be obnoxious and be seen all over London if it would please your family. What's the good news?" Astoria's smile from earlier was back full-force.

"Catherine's getting married, and she wants me to be in her wedding." Draco smiled. He leaned in, clearly considering the conversation finished, and let out a frustrated groan when Astoria stood suddenly.

"The wedding!" When it was clear Draco wasn't following her she let out an impatient sigh

"You can come with me to Catherine's wedding. That's a statement that doesn't involve us prancing around through magical London. It'll be perfect. There's going to be a ton of Healers there because we're close to our floor mates. There'll be a lot of pureblood families there because everyone always goes to these weddings even when they're supposed to be private. Oh! Engel works in a day care and I think the son of the Senior Undersecretary works there too which means the Minister himself might come! Think of all of the people who would be dying to go to at least the reception in hopes of being spotted with the minister, and all of London will know at that point and –" Draco cut her off with a kiss.

"Glad to know you have it all figured out." He was smirking at her. She knew she should be annoyed, but his cool arrogance was oddly one of her favorite things about him.

"Are you trying to distract me?" She widened her eyes as she looked up at him, the picture of shock and innocence.

"Did it work?" He looked entirely too smug, Astoria decided. Without warning she pulled him down to meet her, trying to kiss away the smugness. Of course kissing him only made him worse, but Astoria loved trying.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria wondered when she'd get tired of spending time in Draco's company. As time passed, the answer so far had been 'never' and she hoped it'd stay that way. But an oblivious Daphne didn't care, and practically dragged Astoria to lunch on one of her free afternoons. She had then proceeded to talk Astoria's ear off.

"Anyways, oh! I have the funniest news. Pansy fancies herself a matchmaker now that Victoria and Chester Rookwood are getting married and she's trying to set up all of her old school friends. She's been speaking with Blaise lately and I think she's a bit angry that I won't give him another go but now that Ulysses seems ready to make a commitment I'm not about to back out. She had the craziest idea to match Millicent with Gregory Goyle and I think that's going splendidly. Our friend Blaire wants to have a go with Blaise but Pansy's trying to set her up with Draco Malfoy."

"Excuse me?" Astoria hadn't been paying much attention, but suddenly she was riveted. Daphne rolled her eyes.

"My thoughts exactly. I mean Blaire is really pretty, don't get me wrong, but not Malfoy pretty." As Daphne sipped her drink, Astoria didn't know what was more ludicrous. Blaire Vaisey was absolutely stunning, certainly pretty enough to be in any family. That being said, she did not need people trying to set up her boyfriend with any other girl.

"Why Blaire?" Astoria tried and failed at sounding disinterested, and Daphne picked up on it instantly.

"Don't tell me you're still on that Astoria. I thought you'd moved on ages ago. Have the two of you even spoken recently? It doesn't matter. I'm not going to say that Blaire has a better chance with a Malfoy than a Greengrass, but she is rather exciting don't you think? I shouldn't tell you this, but she once shagged a really cute barkeep for like a week straight and got us free drinks for months until she accidently went there with another man. Blaire is spontaneous, loose, but spontaneous. She's fun."

"I'm fun!" Astoria could have hexed herself. Her face turned an odd color of red as Daphne surveyed her warily.

"I've decided I'm going to indulge you with this." Daphne said after a long, awkward pause.

"This doesn't change the fact that you're not, I mean, it's not that you're not fun. But you're always orderly. You don't really try to stand out. You and Catherine do predictable things like having a round or two of drinks before calling it a night. You're the one that makes your French friend and"

"Don't pretend you don't know Chloe's name you've spent vacation with her"

"You're the one that makes Chloe and Nicole drink sobering solution before they apparate whenever the three of you find time to go out. Have you even shagged anyone?" Astoria had, in fact, had sex before. That didn't stop her from narrowing her eyes at her cousin's snotty, superior tone.

"See! That's what I'm talking about Astoria! You can't even talk about the men you've shagged without getting a stick up your bum. You're just, sort of, dreadfully boring."

That was the first time Astoria had ever walked out on someone.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Later, as Astoria and Draco relaxed in yet another part of Malfoy Manor she'd never seen, he could tell something was bothering her.

"Was your mother pushing you again? We could still just be regular people and go out in some showy fashion."

"Do I, am I boring?"

"No." Astoria was taken aback by his abrupt response.

"Really?" Draco had not seen this turn of events coming.

"Yes, really. You're you. I get bored easily, if you were boring I would know." Astoria did not actually feel better.

"Do you know Blaire Vaisey?" Draco snorted.

"Er, yes. Yes I do. She and Pansy are close friends, although Blaire was in Daphne's year. Pansy likes mentioning her a lot. Do you know she once shagged some poor bloke for free drinks?" Astoria huffed.

"Yes, yes, she's very daring." Draco scoffed.

"Daring? I will never understand women. What part of that is daring? Have you seen Blaire? The bloke probably thought Christmas had come early, and then three months later he's still trying to see if he's got a shot and she swings by with her newest idiot and demands her free witch's brew or elderberry draught or whatever it is she drinks. I pity whoever ends up married to Blaire Vaisey." Draco looked quite put off. Astoria held back her smile.

"You really don't think I'm boring?" Astoria asked. It came out more like a statement, and before Draco could respond she leaned up and kissed him. As their tongues met, they both leaned in closer, and Draco's hands were already at Astoria's buttons before she pulled away with her own little smirk. Draco looked slightly dazed.

"Definitely not boring" he murmured, before leaning back in to continue where they'd left off. For Astoria, that was the end of that.


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**A/N:** I love Catherine. I wish I could insert more of her personality into the story, but I can't without going on a huge, long tangent :(. I decided the next best thing was to give Catherine her dream wedding and a plot-serving reception. You know what else I love? Readers who are forgiving of the author because they know that sometimes personal problems can get in the way. But, she still plans to update every single day starting today. Also, if you kill the author there will be no more story.

* * *

As Astoria had predicted, Catherine and Engel's little wedding was the talk of the town. Purebloods spoke about it because they were all still secretly pleased with pureblood-pureblood marriages. Everyone else spoke about it because Rupert Podmore, son of Hestia the Senior Undersecretary and Sturgis Podmore, was going to be in it. Catherine and Engel had decided, however, to keep the actual ceremony private. They refused to reveal the location to anyone but the people who were invited. Instead, they would hold an open reception in one of the fancier places in Diagon Alley.

By the time December 15th rolled around, Astoria had gotten beyond tired of her family. Daphne's mother had gotten her involved in the nagging, and Daphne would not rest until she determined who Astoria's secret beau was. The more Daphne bugged her, the less Astoria wanted anyone to know. It wasn't as if she saw much of Draco either. His father had gotten him involved with something in the ministry, and it seemed that every time she was free he was busy and vice versa.

That morning, Astoria woke up extra early in order to floo to Catherine's house. She'd already met Catherine's friends, and she understood immediately why the three were so close. Lillian was just as sweet as Catherine, and just as nosy, and Brooke was a little bit crazy but very endearing. The two of them had made Astoria feel welcome very quickly. Catherine made Astoria fill in the other two on her life. Lillian thought that she and Draco were romantic, and Brooke thought she was brave to take him back. Astoria found it was nice to have people who didn't know him or her that well to talk to about the situation. Then, it was time.

All of the men had already taken a portkey to the venue, so it was just the women left. Right on schedule, they all grabbed the portkey to take them away. The wedding was being held in a hidden grove. Rather than have everyone walk in formally, Catherine and Engel had decided to have all three bridesmaids and groomsmen walk in together. The men were first. Rupert, Engel's friend Oswald, and Catherine's brother Benjamin walked in together, joining Engel. Astoria had been appointed to watch the progression as Lillian and Brooke took care of calming Catherine down.

"It's time." She smiled, turning back to the girls. Catherine had been very careful to avoid seeing Engel for a few days. Now, she seemed to be having a mini panic attack.

"Astoria I can't do this" Catherine sighed. Astoria walked over to her and hugged her.

"It's too late!" she teased. Then she carefully wiped away Catherine's tears.

"We survived the "it gets better" phase. We can survive anything. You two are the most adorable couple I've ever seen. You can do this Catherine." With that, it really was time for Lillian, Astoria, and Brooke to go down the aisle. As Catherine had requested, the three of them joined hands and walked down the aisle together.

Astoria smiled at the sight of the beautiful garden. She smiled at Engel's anxious look, and his friends trying to subtly pump him up. However, the sight of a head of bright blonde hair made her smile the most. As she passed Draco, she glanced sideways at him. He wasn't close to the aisle, but she still caught his eye.

When the three girls had finally lined up, Catherine walked out. Catherine was the first girl Astoria had ever known that wanted a non-white wedding dress. However, the pale blue dress made Catherine look amazing. She practically floated up to the front of the room, taking her place by Engel. Astoria could tell she didn't even see anyone else.

The wedding was beautiful. Although Astoria had loved Nicole's wedding, there was something amazingly simple and elegant about Catherine's. Everything went perfectly. After Engel and Catherine shared their first kiss as man and wife, Astoria walked back down the aisle with Benjamin, followed by everyone who'd been invited.

It was a good thing that Catherine and Engel had been smart about their wedding, because it seemed like half of magical Britain was crowded around outside the reception. Only the invited guests were allowed in first, however once they'd all been seated it seemed like the rest of England poured in. To Astoria's surprise, Daphne, Blaire, Pansy, Millicent and some of the other girls Daphne hung around with had grabbed a table, Pansy and her husband at the head. It seemed that Draco had managed to secure a table, where he sat with his parents, Blaise and his mother, whoever Blaise had brought, Gregory, and an empty chair.

The reception began with the usual wand salute, which Astoria was excited to be a part of once again. As the six members of the wedding party showered Catherine and Engel with sparks, Astoria was happy to begin. She was thankful not to be making a speech, but loved what Lillian had to say. However, as guests were free to roam about, Astoria realized that maybe Blaire Vaisey hadn't gotten the message. She'd approached Draco's table twice under the pretense of speaking with whoever was with Blaise. It was clear that the dark haired beauty wanted the seat by Draco. Draco, however, had clearly told her that the seat was taken.

Astoria was not ashamed to say that the second the wedding party was released, she headed straight for the table. She saw Blaire's smug grin as she began by speaking with Narcissa, clearly thinking Astoria stood no chance. She saw Daphne's curious glance. However, then Draco reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his lap. Without pause he leaned down and kissed her, shocking her and just about everyone else who was watching. When he leaned back, he looked entirely too proud of himself.

Astoria noticed that Narcissa looked slightly horrified while Lucius's expression mirrored his son's perfectly. Cinnia was patting Narcissa's hand and rolling her eyes, while Blaise and Gregory both looked like they were trying not to laugh. Even Blaise's date, a woman Astoria did not recognize at all, looked somewhat scandalized.

"So much for not making a scene." She muttered. Draco leaned in, still looking much too happy with himself.

"Are you really angry?" He asked. His breath tickled her neck, and when his lips brushed against her ear she knew he'd gotten that close on purpose.

"No." She wanted to be coy and say 'maybe' or give some other flippant answer, but there was no lying to him. He knew her in all of the most infuriating ways.

"Then I'd say mission accomplished."

"You're such a show off." She muttered back. She knew for all intents and purposes they wouldn't even look like they were having a conversation. Or, they'd look like they were having a much more intimate one.

"I'm sorry, have you seen yourself? Your friend is nice, but she's married now. You were the single most interesting thing for every bloke in the room to look at. And you're mine." With that he finally leaned back, letting Astoria slide into her seat. She sent a smile towards Goyle before looking around the room. She saw that the Minister had, in fact, shown up with the Senior Undersecretary and her husband, and they were all congratulating Catherine and Engel at the head table. She knew the second they turned they'd all be swarmed by reporters and eager ministry workers. However, as she caught both Daphne's eye and her mother's, she realized she'd rather have been the Minister.

Sure enough, her mother and two of her aunts stepped away from her father, Apollo, Nicole, and their respective husbands and descended on Astoria. She was very unhappy to see that amongst them was Daphne's mother. She knew they wouldn't make a scene with other people there but Blaise, his date, Goyle, Blaise's mother and Lucius Malfoy all seemed to disappear during the women's descent.

"Hello mother. Aunt Helena, Aunt Gemma, Daphne." She hadn't even seen Daphne join the mix.

"Hello Misses Greengrass." Draco greeted. While Astoria felt almost sick, she could have sworn he looked even smugger than before. All Narcissa Malfoy had to do was shift a bit in her seat and all of the women gave her a friendly chorus of greetings.

"Please, sit won't you?" Astoria didn't know how she did it. She wasn't sure if it was being a Malfoy or simply a quality Narcissa possessed, but every single woman sat silently and without any sort of protest. Indeed, they all seemed rather flattered.

"Astoria, aren't you going to introduce us to your," Astoria hated the way her mother's voice trailed off.

"Mum, you know Draco." Draco tried to cut in, but she silenced him with a very deliberate grip of his thigh under the table. She knew the more he said the worse it'd be.

"Astoria." She heard the warning. No matter how old she got, her mother always knew how to make her feel like a naughty child.

"Mother, this is Draco Malfoy, and his mother Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy. Draco, Narcissa, this is my mother, my aunt Helena, my aunt Gemma, and my cousin Daphne." Daphne looked put out as she gazed at Astoria. The rest of the women looked delighted, even Helena.

"How long have the two of you been seeing each other?" Astoria knew her aunt wouldn't let anything go.

"Five or six months. Astoria has been incredibly patient with me while I've found my footing, so to speak." Astoria had almost forgotten how disgustingly charming Draco could be when he wanted to.

"That's certainly a healthy amount of time." Astoria's mother's smile was tight, but it was aimed at her Aunt Gemma. Astoria realized that she might not have been the only one getting flak from her female family members.

"Well, before you all arrived Draco and I were going to congratulate Catherine and Engel." Astoria stood with Draco, who buried his face in her hair. She felt him shaking with silent laughter.

"I ought to as well." Daphne jumped up before Astoria could protest. She had no choice but to walk away, accompanied by a laughing Draco and frowning Daphne.

"How could you not tell me?" Daphne asked. Looking at Daphne, who was pouting prettily, Astoria did feel sort of guilty.

"I'm sorry Daphne, I just"

"Do you know how awful you've made me look? Here Pansy is trying to set Draco up with Blaire and I never said it was a good idea but I never really told her not to and"

"Daphne, I'm trying to show off my very beautiful girlfriend to the larger part of England and I can't do that if you're bothering her so if you'll excuse us." Astoria had never heard him sound so cool towards someone. It reminded her that he was still very much his father's son in some ways. As he led her away, she tried to ignore the stares that they were getting. Draco did no such thing, taking her on the most convoluted path towards the bar in the back.

"You're such a show off." Astoria's smile was just a bit tight.

"Well, I'm not going to apologize for being proud of having you." He said, still smirking.

"Well," there was absolutely nothing Astoria could say to that. She felt her face grow warm once again, and then he kissed her. She wanted to be angrier with him, but she couldn't be.

As the night wore on, it seemed Draco was determined to leave absolutely no doubts in anyone's head. She had wedding duties to perform, but even when he was nowhere near her she swore she could feel his gaze. He danced with her for every song except the customary one she had to share with Catherine's brother, and she swore that he'd glared at the poor school-age boy the entire time Benjamin had held her.

"You know you look absolutely lovely in this dress." He whispered to her later. "Not a single man in here who's not married has stopped looking at you." Astoria smiled, leaning closer to him.

"I love you." She hadn't said it before. She knew she loved him, and she'd wanted to tell him for months. She had thought that it would be a huge declaration. She pictured herself saying it after something romantic, not in the middle of a random conversation. But it had slipped out. It was like she couldn't wait another second to tell him. As he leaned down yet again to kiss her, she could feel the difference. He'd been waiting for her to say it too.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

After successfully dodging his mother's disappointed expression and his father's overly smug one, Draco Malfoy settled back into his room. In an act of what he saw as remarkable selflessness, he had never brought up the issue. He'd kept saying he loved Astoria, and kept silently wondering if she would ever say it back.

He thought he'd kept his cool pretty well all things considered. He hadn't let his hands wander too far, hadn't taken her in public, and certainly hadn't made her announce it to everyone in the room. However, a few days later as he arrived at the Goyle's estate, he was still on cloud nine.

"Someone's a smug bastard." Draco was used to that sort of greeting from Blaise. As he entered the home, he was surprised at how looked-after it seemed. Blaise's influence had apparently been good for the place, because he knew it wasn't Goyle's doing.

"Afternoon Goyle" Goyle nodded back at Draco.

Between Crabbe and Goyle, neither spoke very much and Crabbe had been slightly more talkative. However, after coming back from Azkaban Gregory Goyle spoke even less. Blaise had moved in with him shortly after his release from prison, although nobody spoke about it. When he'd first gotten back, Blaise had cornered Draco and told him that he should never mention Azkaban or Crabbe around Goyle, ever. Draco had never broken this rule.

"Why am I here then?" Draco asked, throwing himself unceremoniously onto the couch. Blaise laughed.

"Because everyone wants to know what's going on with you and Astoria Greengrass and France and we feel you should warn us if you're going to pull another stunt so we don't get bombarded with these." With a half-hearted wave of his wand Blaise summoned a small mountain of letters. Most of them, Draco noted, seemed to be from Pansy.

"It's not my fault they're all crazy. Anyways Pansy is married so what I do in my free time really isn't any of her business."

"That never stopped Pansy." Goyle didn't even look like he intended it to be funny, but both Blaise and Draco burst out laughing. He cracked a smile.

"That's true." Draco acquiesced once he'd stopped.

"If you really want something to say, tell them the truth. Eventually I am going to get married to Astoria Greengrass."

"This from the man who swore in sixth year that he and Pansy Parkinson were destined to be together." Even Draco laughed at that one.

"I was sixteen. I would hope that if I was still talking about marrying Pansy someone would stop me."

"What makes Astoria different?" If anyone else had asked Draco would be offended. But Goyle was his friend, and Draco knew Goyle wasn't trying to be offensive. It's what prompted his honest response.

"Seeing her in that wedding, I kept thinking that would be us. Everything's, we made some really bad choices, all of us. I've made more of them than anyone. When I marry her, she's going to be the best decision I've ever made." Nobody laughed.

"Oh." Goyle shrugged. Blaise shifted in his seat. Then Goyle sat up a bit straighter.

"Do I have to marry Millicent?" Draco spluttered.

"Er, what, why would you have to marry Millicent Bulstrode?" Goyle shrugged.

"Zabini can't live here forever. Someone has to take care of this place. I need to get married. I get along with Millicent." Blaise and Draco exchanged a look. Privately, Draco wondered how anyone could get along with Millicent.

"If there comes a time when you need to marry her, you'll want to." Draco nodded his agreement. That was all there was to it.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**A/N: Shameless plug. I would love for Delicate to get to 100 reviews before this journey is over. I'm just going to put that out there. Thank you, as always, for reading! **

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Astoria hadn't expected her life to change too much after Catherine's wedding. After all, she'd already been friends with Narcissa Malfoy for quite some time. Although Catherine was gone on honeymoon, she knew she could hold her own with her other co-workers. Narcissa's charity effort had taken off, given her something to occupy her time as she sorted out what to do with the donations. Astoria figured she'd already been in the papers before, and as Draco was no longer at the orphanage there was no reason for him to be mentioned.

Six days before Christmas, Astoria opened the Dailey Prophet to an article about Narcissa's involvement. She skimmed it, and thought nothing of it. However in the very back, in a "Society" section run by journalist Rita Skeeter, she saw a picture of herself and Draco. In the picture, he leaned down and kissed her, and then they both turned and smiled at the camera. Astoria knew for a fact that they had never posed for a picture for the Prophet, yet there they were.

Astoria tossed down the paper as though she'd been burned. She took a minute, and several deep breaths, before picking it back up to read the article.

Whoever had written it had clearly gotten very near to Astoria and Draco at the wedding. The short gossip article cited their apparent closeness, and the way Draco apparently had never taken his eyes off of her. It then talked about the shocking reveal at the reception, even detailing the almost painful exchange between Astoria and her family. However, the article managed to make it sound like the two were trapped in some sort of tawdry romance novel. The author, who Astoria had to verify was in fact Rita Skeeter, tossed around phrases like "the unveiling of their forbidden romance" and generally made it sound like the two had been having a passionate affair behind the back of the "unforgiving" Greengrass family while the "saintly, patient" Malfoys "helped the young lovers find their way." Of course, it ended by saying that nobody was available to comment.

Astoria was so absorbed in the little article she didn't even hear her mother enter the kitchen.

"Astoria, what are you reading dear? Is that the society section?" Astoria tried to pull the paper away, but her mother reached out and grabbed it.

"You look lovely dear. Oh, no, no. No. We don't support your relationship? Who said we aren't supportive? Something must be done." Astoria sighed. Christmas was right around the corner, Astoria had to finish wrapping gifts, the last thing she needed was for her mother to get involved in the situation.

"We have to give Rita Skeeter a statement." Whenever Mrs. Greengrass got involved in something, Astoria always ended up involved.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Two days later, Astoria found herself sitting in the Daily Prophet office, waiting to be seen by Rita Skeeter. Next to her sat Draco, who had only agreed to come after Astoria begged him. On Astoria's other side, Mrs. Greengrass sat tall, trying her best to "look friendly" as she'd instructed Astoria.

"Miss Skeeter will see you now." The little brunette witch looked all too excited. Astoria wondered if she knew they were walking to their doom. She stood with a very forced smile, until she felt Draco pull her to the side.

"Have you never done this before?" He asked. She could hear his smirk. Sure enough, when she looked up to face him, he was smirking down at her.

"What, you have?" She halfheartedly attempted to be annoyed as he pulled her closer.

"Of course I have. My parents used to be in the paper all the time and I always ended up in there with them. It's one of the downsides of being an only child." Astoria giggled, his breath was tickling her.

"Well then. Make this easy for me hmm?" The two walked forward as one, coming to a stop in front of the desk. Rita Skeeter was not what Astoria had expected. She'd expected a journalist type, a large personality but maybe not the most put-together person. Rita Skeeter looked more like everyone's old aunt that was trying to recapture her youth. Everything about her was garish, but Astoria forced a pleasant smile.

"Oh, it's so lovely to have you. Please, make yourselves comfortable." In what Astoria thought was almost a pretentious display of chivalry, Draco pulled out a chair for both Astoria and her mother, adding a flourish. As she sat and turned to face Rita Skeeter though, she saw that he might just know what he was doing. The woman was grinning at Draco with a very pleased expression, and next to her a long green feather quill was scratching away across a notepad.

"I hope you don't mind the quill. It takes some notes for me so that I don't have to waste my time while we're chatting." Astoria did her best to look pleasant once again.

"Oh, of course not." Astoria thought her mother's smile was over the top, but Rita Skeeter seemed to be eating it up.

"Well then, let's get started shall we? Now, when you wrote me wanting to do an interview I must say I was surprised. My sources reported your less-than-excited reactions at the Senior Undersecretary's son's friend's wedding. Why the change of heart?"

"Oh, I'm so shocked to hear that. We are all nothing but elated for Astoria and Draco. Look at them, they are absolutely perfect for each other. He is just what she needs, and they are very much in love." It made Astoria slightly uncomfortable to hear her mother speak about her relationship. Her mother hardly knew Draco Malfoy, and had no way of knowing if he was right for her or not. But, she kept her smile perfectly fixed, sending Draco the best simpering in-love look she could. Seeing him return it she had to hold back a laugh.

"Really, so you wouldn't say you came off as cold, or upset?" Astoria laced her fingers through Draco's in an attempt not to bristle. Of course she knew that her mother was basically lying through her teeth but Rita Skeeter had no way of knowing that. The woman's tone might have been friendly, but her words were nothing but accusatory.

"I would just say shocked. It just came as such a surprise to us."

"You didn't know that they were dating?" Astoria had to give her mother credit. Her mother never looked anything less than absolutely excited to be speaking. If the questions bothered her at all, she wasn't showing it.

"We didn't know they were ready to go public. They were the ones who insisted on keeping it between them. Of course we can understand why. With everything Draco was doing in France with those poor orphans, the last thing he needed was people speculating about his relationships. And then Astoria still had to establish herself here. She still had to do the right thing, and go on dates and meet people. Theirs wasn't a typical romance by a long shot." The answer made Astoria uncomfortable. She'd made it sound like Astoria and Draco were together the whole time he was in France, which would make her public behavior seem highly inappropriate. She wasn't surprised at all when that was the direction Rita Skeeter took the interview.

"How was that for you Draco, knowing that while you were in France helping orphans Astoria was playing house with all these men in London?" Astoria felt Draco squeeze her hand. She hadn't realized she was tense, but that instantly calmed her down.

"That was my fault I'm afraid. When I left for France I hadn't exactly made my claim, had I? As my father has always said, you can't expect a woman to read your mind." Astoria had to hold in a laugh at that one. She was pretty sure that nobody, ever, would dispute what Draco had just said. It wasn't exactly an old family saying. But Rita Skeeter seemed to love it, nodding her head solemnly like he'd told her the secrets of the universe.

"Astoria, what was that like for you?" Astoria was glad her blush was supposedly charming, because as unprepared as she was for the question she had turned a very light pink. She wished Skeeter wouldn't have. Draco and her mother were clearly much better at it than she was. But, she reasoned, it was just like trying to sweet talk a stubborn teacher. She had to say what the woman wanted to hear.

"I'm not going to lie, it was difficult." She looked down, trying to look solemn. Draco instantly brought their joined hands to his lips, kissing them softly as if to offer comfort. Whether he meant it or not she couldn't know, but it did make her feel better.

"It was hard to feel like we had this connection that was never defined. And what he was doing with those children, what his mother began to try to accomplish, it was so much bigger than just the two of us. Trying to juggle what was expected of me and be supportive of him, not to mention things that were going on in the lives of people I knew, it certainly wasn't easy. I'd never have survived it without the support of my mother, my family really." Astoria looked down shyly rather than try to look at her mom. Her veiled confession had left her a bit sad. She had been going through a lot, and it would have been nice to have her mother to lean on. But she'd been the one who'd kept her mother away.

"Oh you poor dear!" Clearly whatever Astoria had said had worked. The woman's words might have been sympathetic, but she looked almost too eager for words.

"It must have been such a relief for all of you then, when it finally became official. When was that, exactly?" Astoria was not fooled by the offhand tone, and clearly neither was Draco.

"It's really hard to put a date on this. It's new but it's not new. I think that both of us were trying to establish ourselves for the longest time. It's a bit silly really. We convinced ourselves that we could be friends, albeit friends that leaned on each other a lot. Astoria kept me sane in France. She claims I did the same for her here, and while I can't imagine that I was anywhere near as supportive, if I helped at all I am happy. If I had to put a date on it I'd say five or six months, but if I'm being honest I'd say that we've been together all along, and fooling ourselves by thinking otherwise." Astoria knew that the answer was designed for the paper. But she couldn't help it. What he'd said was beautiful. Without even thinking about it, she leaned up and he leaned down and their lips met in the middle.

"Well!" Both of the older women spoke as one. Astoria's mother sounded scandalized, but Skeeter sounded positively thrilled.

"Unfortunately I really can't spare any more time. I hope you all enjoy your Christmas, I hope it's absolutely lovely. But before you jet, where exactly do you see this going Draco?" Astoria fought the urge to roll her eyes. Even if Draco was planning to break up with her, it wasn't likely he'd announce it to the paper right in front of her. Besides, a part of her that she was trying to ignore kept reminding her that they could get married whenever she was ready.

"You'll just have to wait and see." Draco had the audacity to wink at the woman, and then he escorted Astoria and her mother out of their chairs and out of the Prophet building as fast as possible.

"I suppose that went alright." Was Astoria's mother's only comment before she apparated away.

"It wasn't as awful as I thought it would be." Astoria sighed, content.

"That's because you had the best teacher." She could tell that he was only half joking. Astoria simply rolled her eyes and pulled him along.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

The article came out two days before Christmas, faster than Astoria had anticipated. When Astoria finally read the article she was shocked. The article managed to make their story sound so star-crossed. Erasing the part where they hadn't spoken for a year made everything sound so romantic. Draco seemed like a misguided hero, who'd atoned for his wrongs in the most tragic way, sacrificing love to prove himself to the world. Astoria came across as the tragic heroine, trying to be strong for everyone in her life and letting the strain show only in the comfort of her own home. The only reference to the other article was to say that Astoria's parents were shocked but ultimately pleased that the couple finally felt 'secure' enough to display their love in public. If anything, instead of labeling the Greengrasses as unsupportive, they now came across as supportive to the extreme if a bit overprotective. Tossing the paper to the side, all Astoria could do was hope that it didn't come with another reader's poll.

Astoria had bigger things to worry about. Draco had told her to clear her plans for Christmas. She'd gotten everyone in her life a gift, and had them all wrapped and sorted to go. But then, she'd started to rethink her gift to him.

It wasn't that she doubted her gift-giving abilities. Astoria knew how to get a gift for just about anyone. But Draco wasn't anyone. She'd already gotten him something over-the-top that she knew he didn't have. She'd spoken to every single person he knew to make sure that none of them were going to get it for him either. She'd also snuck a letter in with Narcissa's gift to the orphanage, asking for a few pictures and cards if they could manage as part of his gift. The owl had come, and she'd been overwhelmed as she'd wrapped the many handmade cards and photographs that had been sent.

But, none of those gifts felt personal to her. They didn't feel like something that only she could have gotten him. She wanted to get him the perfect gift, something that nobody else knew him well enough to get him. She'd scoured specialty stores, tried her hand at several different potions, and even wandered into Zonko's, but there was nothing. With Catherine on honeymoon, Chloe in Bulgaria for Christmas with Krum and probably Anya, and Nicole and Apollo on their latest kick, Astoria was all alone. It was what prompted her to sit down with her mother.

"…I just wanted a gift that only I could get him. A lot of people would say I should dress up or do something equally, just, I want it to be about more than that. I want it to be a gift that he can never forget." Astoria was surprised when her mother started laughing.

"Astoria, darling, you're asking me what to get your boyfriend for Christmas? A boy I just found out about less than a month ago? Have you got presents for everyone else, his parents?"

"Yes. I just thought, maybe after years and years of gifts giving you'd have an idea. I don't want to ask Narcissa Malfoy what to get him, so you're sort of all I have." Her mother sighed then.

"Astoria Greengrass you know that boy better than probably anyone else. You know what he likes and dislikes and if you still can't think of a gift for him then you're just trying too hard." It was not the answer Astoria was expecting.

"Thanks" she said drily. Hours later, after she'd already given up, inspiration struck. She thought of the perfect gift. Although it was getting late, she got to Malfoy Manor immediately.

"Narcissa, I need to ask a favor."


	18. Chapter Seventeen

A/N: I love Christmas. I love my readers. I hope you love this chapter.

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Christmas morning, Astoria woke up very early. She'd been able to negotiate her way out of the Christmas shift, leaving her Christmas absolutely free. Her last gift to Draco was hiding in the depths of Malfoy Manor where Narcissa assured Astoria he'd never find it. The two had agreed to do their Christmas later, so that both could spend the morning with their parents. Already Astoria missed him.

Still, after trying and failing at falling back to sleep, Astoria made her way out of her room. As she walked down the hall she passed the room Apollo and Nicole had stayed in the night before following a sudden arrival. The two had been staying in various places together while they decided where they wanted to live. However, both Apollo and Astoria knew that their home was his. It was how things worked; he was married so he and his wife would take control of the house.

As she made her way down the stairs, Astoria hoped Draco wouldn't find her last gift. She had the other two waiting and ready to deliver in a few hours. But, if he happened to stumble into that area of the house and start digging around, she knew he'd see it. The more she thought about it the more worried she got. She imagined him going there for any number of reasons. As she settled into the kitchen, setting a pot of tea to boil, she thought of tragedies. She pictured a fire, or a flood, or any other number of accidents that would destroy it. Then, she simply imagined him not liking it.

She was startled out of her thoughts when a sleepy looking Nicole made her way into the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas ma belle" Nicole trilled.

"Joyeux Noel, ma belle." Astoria responded. Suddenly she was reminded of the Christmases she'd spent at Hogwarts. She'd stopped going home for Christmas after her third year. Instead, she and Nicole would keep Anya company as Anya couldn't get home for holidays. The girls had picked up the phrase from Nicole's father, who would sign every Christmas card that way.

"I can't believe how much everything has changed." Clearly Nicole was on the same page. She poured her own mug of tea, and joined Astoria at the table.

"Is it strange, being a Greengrass?" Nicole smiled.

"Yes and no. I was always, always Nicole Medina in Italy. You know, Nicole Medina your father is fantastic. Nicole Medina your mother was a model. Nicole Medina you're so pretty, so fabulous, so riche, so everything. In France it was even worse. In France I was Nicole Medina the icon. People wanted to look like me because they thought I would look like my mother. It wasn't even until I met your brother that I realized I hated it. You know, Apollo didn't like me for the longest time. Then that one day we had that conversation and he told me that he never realized I was capable of talking about my interests. And I realized that neither did I. Then when I got back from Bulgaria and back to France and back to people asking me who I was wearing and did I think muggle clothes were coming into fashion in the wizarding world and would I model soon. So then I wrote him, and all he wanted to talk about was this project he wanted to get involved in. He talked to me about all these things I didn't know people had opinions on. We weren't really friends either, so we didn't think the same and he wasn't afraid to argue with me. He just, he treats me like a person."

Astoria had never heard anyone describe Apollo so positively. Most of the things she heard about him were people saying he needed more ambition. So far Apollo had managed to get any job he desired, but he never kept any job for longer than a year.

"Oh." Astoria wasn't sure how to respond. She'd never thought Apollo would ever get married.

"Do you, are you going to have children, with him?" Astoria was not at all prepared for Nicole to burst into laughter.

"Astoria, I'm still me. Can you imagine me with a child? Can you imagine Apollo and me with a child? We still don't have a permanent residence. Eventually? Yes, I think we'll probably get around to it. But I want to explore first. You and Apollo have never been to America. I want to take him there, and bring him back to France with me to live in Paris for a bit, and spend time in Ireland and Bulgaria. I've heard Australia is amazing, and that's kind of the one thing I can bring. If I mention in a coffee shop that I am considering maybe modeling in Norway, three different agencies will send me free accommodations for the both of us, with travel. If I mention that I've always wanted to see Ghana's Quidditch team, we'll get put up in a hotel and probably taken a tour of all the countries of West Africa. All of this for free. I know you don't think Apollo knows what he's doing, but I know him. When he finally chooses a career, he's going to be just as famous in it as my parents were in theirs. Then, when all of that is over. Then maybe we can talk about having children."

"Good morning, merry Christmas." Apollo stumbled in, barely awake. He made no indications that he'd heard their conversation, so Astoria and Nicole continued their reminiscing on old Beauxbatons days.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Early in the afternoon, after Astoria had thoroughly enjoyed her Greengrass Christmas, she flooed to Malfoy Manor. She had barely stepped out of the fireplace when Draco swept her up in his arms.

"Merry Christmas, Astoria." If Astoria hadn't been otherwise occupied, she would have responded to Narcissa's friendly greeting. As it was, it was several minutes before Astoria's mouth was free to move.

"Was that really necessary?" Astoria muttered, as she turned to greet Draco's parents. As she'd expected, Narcissa looked extremely pleased and Lucius Malfoy's face was unreadable. They both nodded as Astoria wished them happy Christmases and they began walking away.

"I love you" was all Draco said back. He draped an arm around her, and led her after his parents.

"Where are we going?" Astoria asked. She was still slightly pink with embarrassment, but she could admit to herself that she was a little pleased. At any rate she was excited to see his reaction to her gifts.

"To the tree" he answered, pulling her closer. She smelled the pine before she saw the tree. Draco had been trying really hard to keep Astoria out of Malfoy Manor, and when she'd arrived with Narcissa the older woman had rushed her to the storage. Now she understood why. The tree had to be about 15 ft. tall, and it was impeccably decorated. She noted the green and silver theme immediately. Everything from the ornaments to the garlands to the ribbons was either bright emerald green or vivid silver. At the top of the tree a silver snake curled its way around the highest branches. Its head rested at the very top, its emerald eyes glinting as it bared its silver fangs.

"Oh." Astoria was struck dumb for the second time that day. The tree was so extravagant she almost forgot why she was there.

"This is from the two of us dear, for your parents. We'll leave it by the fireplace." Narcissa shocked Astoria out of her stupor by presenting her with a bright silver package. Then, as immediately as she had it, it was taken from her by a tiny house elf who ran it, she assumed, to the fireplace.

"And, this is for you." This gift she took from Lucius.

"Don't open it yet" he cautioned, just as she went for the ribbon. She smiled, setting it down.

"These are from my parents." Astoria hated shrinking the presents, but it was the only way she could transport them. It was why she'd hidden Draco's things in storage. She already knew what her parents had gotten the Malfoy's. They'd found a very old set of silver scales with the Malfoy crest on them and had paid entirely too much for them. For Draco, they'd gotten a snitch-shaped storage device. They were very new. Supposedly once they were taken out of their box, the first person to touch them would be the only person who could open them. They were for storing valuables, and flew around like regular snitches, but they were slightly larger and could be expanded on the inside to hold more things.

Once the Malfoys had received and given, Narcissa took Draco aside as promised. Astoria was able to summon his gifts with little difficulty, so they all awaited him before he got back.

"Who's going first?" Narcissa asked once she returned. If Draco seemed surprised at the sudden arrival of his gifts, he didn't show it. Astoria suddenly wanted to go first. She considered that if his gifts were much better than hers, she'd rather find out after she'd given hers.

"Merry Christmas" she said, thrusting the first package at him. Draco sat unceremoniously on the floor, and opened the box to the sounds of little voices. When Astoria had sent for cards and things from the orphanage, she'd expected a few notes and some pictures. She'd been delighted when she'd opened the box to the voices. As Draco took out the stack of cards and photos, every single one of the children said their name and then said a little message to him. It was really sweet.

"It's not really from me. I'm sort of just delivering it." Astoria said. Draco leafed through the letters and cards before carefully putting them back in the box.

"Will it talk to me every time?" He asked. Astoria nodded.

"At least until the charm wears off." He beamed at her.

"Thank you Astoria." She knelt down and kissed him again, much more gently than before. However, as he set the box down she frowned.

"Aren't you going to read those?" She was a bit taken aback by the incredulous look on his face.

"Now?" He asked. She realized he thought that would be incredibly rude. She smiled.

"I wouldn't mind." He shook his head, but didn't say anything. Instead, with a lazy flick of his wand, he summoned a package. It flopped to the ground at Draco's side, but as she leaned over to pick it up he grabbed her wrists in his hands.

"Don't lift that one love." Instead she slid it around between her legs, so that she was sitting in his lap and the box was in front of them both.

"Are these, cauldrons?" She asked, bemused. Then she got a proper look at them slammed the box shut again.

"Tell me you did not get me a set of bronze cauldrons!" She could feel him laughing before the sound reached her ears.

"I didn't buy you a set of bronze cauldrons." Astoria opened the box again, confused. She used her wand to lift out the first cauldron, only to be greeted with another cauldron. As she lifted it out, the shiny metal sparkled in the light. The last cauldron she simply stared at.

"You are entirely too much." She said, before turning to kiss him again. Beside her, her bronze, silver, and gold cauldrons all seemed to sparkle merrily.

"Why?" She asked, when they finally broke apart. He laughed.

"You know Potions is probably my best subject. I remember one of my teachers mentioning in class that the best brewers use cauldrons made with pure metals because of the properties that they lend to certain potions. I just thought that since you're undoubtedly one of the best brewers, you should have the best" She cut him off by kissing him again. She didn't even want to know where he'd found a pure gold cauldron.

"Thank you." She smiled.

"Okay, this is your next gift." Astoria hopped out of his grasp, and ran to grab the package. It was hard to wrap a broom in a way that it didn't look like a broom, but she thought she managed. He didn't seem to see it coming. He opened the box, and stared.

"Is this a Firebolt?" He asked, still staring. She knew he would never admit how much he'd wanted one, but he did.

"I don't know, check the handle" She smiled as he took the broom carefully out of the box. Just as she'd hoped, he turned it to where the words Firebolt should have been printed. Only they weren't. Instead, he fingered the text that had cost her more of her salary than she would ever admit. D. Malfoy.

"You didn't." He breathed. He seemed completely in awe.

"I didn't even think they would do this for you." Astoria smiled.

"It's custom made. One of a kind." Draco stared at Astoria for a few seconds, and then smiled to himself.

"I'll be right back." He said, running out. Astoria smiled and waved her wand. The rest of her gift came forward, planting itself next to her. When he came in, he held his arm behind his back. At the sight of her gift he stopped, staring. It took him a second to process what he was seeing, and then he turned to her with an unreadable expression. Every single broom he'd ever owned, including his toy brooms from childhood, was cleaned, taken care of, and mounted chronologically. Around it she'd arranged some of his little jerseys and other old Quidditch-related things. She'd even put some of his Hogwarts Quidditch robes by his school broom. It seemed he'd always been a huge Quidditch fan.

"Oh." This time Draco was speechless. The board Astoria had mounted everything on had room for the firebolt, and he dutifully moved forward and hung it on the available rack.

"Do you like it?" Astoria knew he liked the broom. But she thought that perhaps everything else was a bit creepy.

"I, you" Staring at the board, Astoria felt rather than saw him wrap his arms around her. His head came to rest on hers, and she could feel him nodding.

"Do you, can I show you, these are for you." Suddenly he thrust a bouquet into her line of vision. Rather than traditional flowers, it was a bouquet of Bouncing Bulbs. Stapled to the outside was a little care packet.

"I love bouncing bulbs." Astoria smiled. She'd tried to take care of a bouquet in her sixth year, but it hadn't quite worked out.

"I'll have to find somewhere to plant them through. They don't like to be kept in pots, they prefer soil." In response, Draco got an oddly pleased look on his face.

"I know the perfect place." He held out a hand for her, and Astoria dutifully grabbed it. He apparated them away, to a part of the Malfoy grounds Astoria recognized. It was a beautiful part of the garden, with many trees. However, where there had one been a patch of low grass, now Astoria saw a plethora of colors.

"Draco, what" He cut her off by leaning down and kissing her. The kiss was brief, but when he pulled back he set his jaw.

"I got you a garden, for Christmas. The soil is charmed, so that it will always be the perfect heat to keep the plants alive." Looking at it as her garden, Astoria paid much more attention. It was a little plot, certainly enough for one or two people to manage. She saw the bush of bouncing bulbs, the purple bulbs still extremely young and bobbing merrily. Next to it were some dirigible plums. The orange fruits looked so jolly. Climbing the wall of the manor was what Astoria knew had to be flitterbloom. It was pretty for a flitterbloom bush, the tentacles curling attractively. She also saw fluxweed, the pretty blue flowers concealing the bright red scruples. At the sight of the puffapod, she couldn't resist plucking one of the bright pink seedpods to drop the seeds. One of them rolled before it fell, and as she reached to grab the pretty pink flower, she saw a rather plain brown plant in the corner. Immediately she backed away.

"Is that dittany?" Astoria looked back at Draco sharply.

"Well, yes." She was glad he had the decency to look sheepish.

"Do you know how rare this is?" She asked. She wasn't sure why she was so upset. She felt slightly overwhelmed, and very confused.

"If I didn't I do now. My parents got you silver gardening tools for Christmas, they're supposed to be better for handling dittany." Draco laughed, prompting Astoria to shake her head.

"Why did you, why get me a garden, and why get me a garden here?" She expected Draco to try to brush the problem away, but he looked serious.

"It's here because," He stopped, taking a deep breath.

"It's here because no matter what happens in the future, I'm going to marry you Astoria Greengrass. I thought maybe, if you had something here already that was yours, when we get married this will feel like your home. And when we, our son should love plants just as much as you do." This was yet another moment when Astoria wished she was more eloquent. If she was she would have made some kind of speech. She would have thanked him, and told him how much she wanted to marry him. How touched she was.

Instead, she threw her arms around him and murmured "I love you" over and over again until he cut her off with another deep, long kiss. He broke it first, to lean down to her ear.

"Merry Christmas Love."


	19. Chapter Eighteen

To say that Astoria and Draco got closer after Christmas would be an understatement. Astoria had quickly learned that Draco knew nothing about gardening, and had taken it upon herself to supplement his lack of Herbology knowledge.

For New Year's Eve Draco had taken Astoria with him to do business in Hogsmeade, and had shown her around the little town and all of his favorite places. She'd even braved the Shrieking Shack to pay homage to his old teacher Professor Snape who he said was singlehandedly responsible for his life. He'd tried to hide his tears as he paid his respects, but Astoria cried freely, clutching him closer. Early the next morning they celebrated another first on his bed as the rest of London celebrated the New Year.

Following his successful business deal Draco became an official employee of the Ministry of Magic. She knew he was excited to be working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. His main job, as far as she could tell, was to correspond with France. He'd hinted several times that this could potentially put him on track to be the ambassador to France, a fact which excited Astoria to no end.

On Valentine's Day Draco surprised Astoria by flooing her with him to France. Although they were in Paris, rather than Southern France where Beauxbatons was, Astoria was still thrilled. They spent the day at a little café owned by the tiniest witch Astoria had ever seen, and after some sightseeing the next day it was back to their routine. Of course, the extravagant vacation didn't stop Draco from getting Astoria the tiniest, daintiest bracelet. It looked like it was made of wisps and it weighed nothing but he assured her that it was Goblin made and would never break. It was, Astoria thought, fair trade for the busy two weeks he had after the trip.

It was why Astoria ended up making the trip to a party Chloe invited her to all alone. It was supposed to be some kind of international forum for Quidditch players. Astoria thought it was both endearing and a mark of Draco's arrogance that the thought of her going alone to a party full of professional athletes didn't bother him at all.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

February 21st, Astoria got herself all dressed up to meet Chloe in the midst of Diagon Alley. When she arrived, she was surprised to see Chloe by herself. It was a strange sight; her friend spent so much time with Krum that she was not used to seeing Chloe without her giant boyfriend. Chloe correctly interpreted Astoria's confused look as she stepped forward to greet her friend.

"I don't know what Viktor is doing. He had to arrive early for something. It's alright though; he gave me our seat assignments. Apparently Bulgaria's winning last year means that they're seated in a place of honor. These are coveted seats." Astoria laughed at Chloe's attempt at snobbery. She thought it was hilarious that out of all of her friends, the one who cared the least about Quidditch was dating the Quidditch star.

"Yes well, they won't let just anyone sit next to the stars of the European Quidditch circuit." Astoria teased back. "How've you been?"

"It's been crazy." Chloe confessed, sighing. The two girls began to walk down the road, Astoria mainly following Chloe's lead.

"Ever since they secured the circuit last year, they've been in everything. Magazines want us to take pictures together. Every interview he does someone asks him if he's dating someone, even if they know about me. And, he's such a private person. He doesn't seem shy because he's so big, but he really is very shy. Then he gets uncomfortable, they write that we must be having problems, and then he gets angry. We've gotten everything from rumors that I'm pregnant, to rumors that we've broken up." Astoria suddenly felt relieved that her relationship with Draco had been relegated to two society articles. She couldn't imagine dealing with that level of scrutiny. She hadn't even wanted to deal with the scrutiny she did get.

"How's the learning Bulgarian going?" She didn't know what else to say. But, as Chloe beamed, it seemed like the right thing.

"I have already learned so much! Honestly, it was so much easier to learn than English. I can't write it very well, but I speak it and I think that's more important." Chloe beamed.

"Well, I'm sure that makes Viktor happy." Chloe laughed.

"Not just Viktor, the whole team. They've all been helping me, especially recently. Anya has been a huge help. She started writing me in Bulgarian, but with regular letters. Now I understand how Draco refined his French so quickly, it hasn't been that hard. But you'll see. Viktor is giving a speech tonight; I'll translate it for you."

"A speech? Is he going to wax poetic about how teamwork helped them to their victory, and how they're going to do it again?" Chloe shrugged in response.

"Viktor is not normally one for speeches, to be honest. I'm surprised he is the one giving the speech. He refused to let me see it though; I think he thinks it's bad." As Chloe spoke, the girls rounded the corner. Suddenly, Astoria was very grateful for their passes. It seemed every die-hard Quidditch fan was trying to sneak their way in to the building. Astoria had to resist a sudden urge to stick her tongue out at them playfully as Chloe showed her passes and the two were ushered in.

"Right this way ladies" the wizard escorting them seemed nervous. Astoria wondered if it was because of the high profile guests. As they walked, Astoria was surprised by how many players she recognized. She'd never had much of an interest in attending one of these events before, but it was interesting being around all of the most notable players. The men led them up to a long table in the front of the room. Viktor Krum was to be in the middle, and Astoria thought it was odd that there was so much space around his chair. On his right would be Chloe, and then Astoria, and then some of the team. On his left, more teammates. Around the room were large round tables to house the rest of the teams and their guests.

"Ladies, these are your seats, but please feel free to walk around, mingle. The formal part of the evening will begin later." Astoria placed her things on the seat, but tucked her wand into a concealed pocket in her dress.

"I have no idea where Viktor is," Chloe frowned apologetically, surveying the room.

"Go find him, I'll be fine" Astoria smiled at her friend. While Chloe went off towards where some Bulgarians were standing, Astoria began to walk about the room. She didn't particularly like being alone in the room, but it wasn't completely horrible either. At any rate, she wasn't alone for very long.

"Excuse me." Astoria recognized the boy instantly. He was supposed to be England's gift, a chance for their team to maybe make it on a global basis. He was fresh out of Hogwarts, 18, and from what she could gather even cockier than her boyfriend.

"Hello." Her smile wasn't as friendly as it could have been, but Astoria didn't want to be entirely impolite. He seemed to take it as an invitation anyways, his smile bordering on a leer.

"Don't tell me you're one of the Bulgarian wives, I might die." He clearly thought she wasn't. Astoria decided she might have her fun.

"Oh non. I am French. Not Bulgarian. I assume you are English?" Astoria would probably never lose the slight French in her accent, but she consoled herself with the idea that she could play it up whenever she wanted. This was one of those times.

"Oh, your English is so good." She bit back a laugh.

"You are so young? Did your parents buy you into the event? Maybe you will play for your team some day?" She smiled brightly at him.

"Actually, I'm a starter this season. For England." He looked a bit less smug at that moment.

"Well, it was very nice meeting you." Astoria sighed. Before he could say anything else, she walked away to find some of the Bulgarian players. They were the only ones she knew.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria was in the midst of chatting with Naum Karev and trying to ignore one of the new player's attempts to flirt with her, when she noticed everyone else falling silent and scrambling. At the center of the high table Krum stood, looking nervous. Astoria returned to her seat beside Chloe, who had to lean to pat Krum's hand reassuringly.

"Get ready" she whispered to Astoria. As Krum began speaking, Chloe began translating.

"I am very honored and privileged to be here, standing in front of all of you. You think that I am giving this speech because I caught the game winning snitch last year. You came to hear me talk about how I am going to catch it this year, and secure two straight wins for Bulgaria. And hopefully I will. But that is not why I am here. I do not like making speeches, especially not important speeches, and this is one of the most important speeches I will make." Here he took a beat, looking almost sick with nerves.

"Is he going to be okay?" Astoria whispered. Chloe frowned, and reached out to take his hand. If Astoria hadn't been so close she doubted she would have noticed, but the second their hands touched Krum visibly relaxed. He turned then, so that he was facing Chloe. Sensing that she'd lost her translator, one of the players leaned in to translate for Astoria.

"Most of you in the room know my love Chloe. She is beautiful, is she not?" At this Krum actually guided Chloe so that she was standing. The room sent up a polite, if a bit confused, applause.

"I have only been in love once before I met Chloe, and it was nothing like this. I felt like I had something to prove to everyone, that I had to earn that love. Chloe makes me feel loved even at my worst. She is everything, intelligent, beautiful, loving, strong-willed, brave, and many other words I can never think of." Here he paused again, taking both of Chloe's hands.

"I have had something important to say to you for the longest time. I have not been afraid to say it, but I have been afraid of what comes after: of how you will feel, and of dealing with the public. The whole world does not need to know, but the whole world will ask. Maybe if we give this to the public they will leave us alone?"

As Chloe's eyes grew wide, Astoria felt her own pulse quicken. She knew what it sounded like, but she didn't dare to dream. It was clear that Chloe was trying not to get her hopes up.

"I love you. For me it is simple. I can not use flowery words to say it, but the meaning is the same. You say you love me to, and I can only hope that you mean that. There is no reason for you to stay with me when you could have your pick of any man." Krum took a breath and then, still clutching Chloe's hands, sank to one knee.

"But you have picked me for some crazy reason. I want to have you for as long as you will allow me. Chloe, will you marry me?" In the silence that followed, Krum reached into his pocket for the ring box, and presented the ring to Chloe. Then there was more silence. It stretched on, and just when things seemed like they were about to get uncomfortable Chloe let out a sob. She didn't even bother with words. Instead, Chloe threw her arms around him and leaned in for one low, long kiss. When they both stood up, Chloe was crying and holding her hand out, as Krum gently slid the ring onto her finger. Then, he turned to face the audience, many of whom were crying themselves whether they spoke Bulgarian or not.

"I was not kidding though, about Quidditch. Bulgaria is playing, always, to win." With that Krum sat down, pulled Chloe into his lap, and began whispering things to her that only she could hear.

That night Astoria wondered, really wondered, what it would be like to be married to Draco Malfoy. She realized that, for the first time, she could really picture it. If he proposed, she could see herself saying yes with no hesitations. Somewhere along the way she'd given him her heart again and he'd made her believe he would never break it.


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**A/N: I am so close to 100 reviews I can feel it! Sadly, we are also getting closer and closer to the end. Only a few more days, only a few more chapters, and then the Epilogue on Christmas Day! I think you're all about to get something you've been awaiting for a very long time, but not what you think ;)**

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Unlike with Nicole's wedding, Astoria found herself doing nothing for Chloe. Chloe had written to Anya and Nicole to tell them what had happened, and all three girls had been ecstatic. They'd pictured a beautiful summer wedding in south France, the kind of wedding Chloe had talked about for ages. Although Chloe wasn't one for lavish ceremonies, they pictured her in a beautiful dress with her pristine bridesmaids by her side.

Astoria got one of the biggest shocks of her life when Chloe's wedding announcement arrived barely a week later, announcing her intent to get married on March 18th. Astoria was barely able to take the day off. Not only that, Chloe wasn't having a maid of honor, but was arranging her friends in alphabetical order. All they had to do, she demanded, was get their dresses fitted and arrive on March 16th with everything they'd need for the rehearsal and the ceremony. She was going to take care of everything. Although the meticulous planning was a bit like Chloe, the speed and Spartan approach to the wedding seemed like nothing Chloe had ever described wanting.

Of course, while they'd talked about weddings Chloe had been dating Francoise Romagne, the boy they'd all thought for sure she was going to marry. Krum and Romagne were nothing alike, and in the end Astoria thought Chloe was much better off. Francoise had been a pretty boy, and he and Chloe would row almost as much as they got along. Still, Astoria thought it best to at least ask Chloe why the ceremony was so rushed.

Her answer came a few days later, in the form of a Quidditch schedule. Starting March 20th Bulgaria was playing on the international sphere. Their next break that lasted more than a few days was in August, if for some reason they didn't make it to the Euro Cup. If they did, and they were expected to, his next break was to be in October. Astoria knew that Chloe would not be willing to wait to October.

To Astoria's relief, Draco was also able to clear his schedule for the wedding. In a strange turn of circumstance Draco and Apollo decided they'd be better off in a hotel room together. Krum had offered to host Draco with his groomsmen and wedding party while Astoria stayed with Chloe, but once they'd seen the guest list the plan had changed abruptly. Draco, it seemed, had forgotten about Krum's close friendship with one Harry Potter and his two friends. Even Krum wasn't sure that having Draco, Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley living close to each other would be anything but a terrible idea.

Astoria wasn't really sure how to feel about the famous trio. Of course she knew that for what they did for the country they were probably owed a debt of gratitude. She did appreciate that they'd saved Draco's life, a confession that had only come out after much alcoholic coaxing. Still, she couldn't quite reconcile the image of them with that of three people her boyfriend had despised for many years. So, since Apollo didn't want to be all alone while Nicole was otherwise occupied, the wedding had turned into an odd bonding trip for Draco and Apollo.

When the day finally came, flooing back to Bulgaria was nothing like the first time. Astoria, Nicole, Apollo and Draco had to take regular transportation from the Ministry of Magic to the Bulgarian Ministry, something Astoria found to be much more tedious. When they arrived, they had to find Chloe. She was grinning ear to ear, when they finally saw her, standing next to an even happier looking Anya. They were quickly ushered about to begin the last few stages of planning.

Astoria quite liked the subtle Quidditch theme that the wedding was set to have. She'd seen the large hall where the ceremony was to be conducted. There was no actual sports gear in the room, save the snitch-shaped centerpieces at each table. But, the wedding colors were the deep red and gold of the Bulgarian team, making the room look festive. You could hardly tell it had been thrown together so last minute.

The day of the wedding, Astoria woke up to a nearly prepared Chloe. Chloe's mother greeted Astoria with two quick kisses before returning to her fluttering over her daughter. Viktor's mother stood guard for her son outside the door. Apparently, Viktor had already tried to get in once before Astoria had even woken up.

Astoria had no idea where Chloe had gotten her dress. Considering the haste with which the wedding was planned, Astoria had really expected her to have a very simple dress. Instead, Chloe's dress was downright stunning. The sleeves and bodice were made of finely crafted lace, and the body was neither too big nor too small. Her hair was elegantly done up, and her mother was busy charming red and gold baubles to fit into the right places.

Right before the ceremony was about to start, Viktor's mother reminded everyone for the umpteenth time to step right foot first and hold their wands in their right hand. It was one of few bits of Bulgarian tradition that the two had opted to include in their ceremony. Astoria was not getting much better at Bulgarian, but during the rehearsal the two non-Bulgarian bridesmaids had been briefed on how to pronounce everything they were required to say during the ceremony.

The mothers were the first to go down the aisle, followed by Viktor himself. Then, one by one the three bridesmaids matched the three groomsmen and joined Viktor at the front. First was Anya, who was with Krum's teammate and best man Alexei Levski. The two walked towards the front at a slow and steady pace. Next was Astoria, with Naum Karev. It was nice for her to see the Bulgarian players again. They weren't quite friends, but they were familiar faces. Other than them, there was also the random spattering of people she'd gone to school with. She was surprised to see Fleur Delacour sitting on Krum's side, after all when she'd been a second year everyone had practically idolized her. Other than that though, the room was full of strangers. Astoria had certainly met some of Chloe's extended family before, but most of the people in the room were strangers. Then, of course, she was avoiding looking at the Groom's side of the room in the hopes of avoiding the sight of three famous faces.

When she stepped forward, on the right foot of course, the sight of Draco calmed her down. He was the only one looking back towards her with anything more than passing interest. She kept her eyes focused on his until she absolutely couldn't, and then focused on Anya. Once she'd parted ways with Naum and stood beside Anya, she began to look around.

The first person she spotted was once again Draco, who was sitting next to Apollo. They made a funny pair, Draco having only eyes for Astoria and Apollo craning to spot Nicole. However, she eventually let her eyes drift. She didn't mean to spot them, but of course she did. They were seated towards the back of the Krum side. She saw the telltale black hair first; although once she'd spotted them she wondered how she'd missed the red hair. She didn't recognize their faces necessarily, but she spotted the lightning bolt scar before she realized she was staring and looked away.

Her attention was soon stolen as Chloe emerged from between the doors. Astoria's eyes were entirely on the bride. Chloe looked more beautiful than she had even minutes before. It was very clear that she had eyes for only one person, and Astoria thought Krum looked happier than she'd ever seen him. Throughout the ceremony she focused alternately between their smiling faces and that of Draco. It wasn't too difficult, she understood none of the ceremony except what she said.

At the reception, Astoria was not so easily able to slip away from the front. After she'd entered, it seemed there was a lot more tradition to go through. It was fun, but Astoria couldn't help but feel bad for Draco. He looked settled enough speaking with Apollo, but she couldn't imagine that sitting amongst strangers was any fun. So, when they were finally released from the table, she made a beeline towards her boyfriend straight away.

"Want to go pay your respects?" she asked, as Draco swept her into his arms. He leaned down for a kiss, but she playfully turned away.

"This is hardly the place or time" She scolded. Draco rolled his eyes, but she knew he wouldn't fight her on it. She wasn't supposed to know, but Apollo and Draco's suite supposedly had two separate bedrooms in the off event that the girls didn't want to crash Chloe's wedding night. Even if she'd been daft enough to want to be there before, the looks that were being passed between Chloe and Viktor Krum ensured that nobody would be anywhere near them on their wedding night. Besides, she was fairly sure she knew exactly what awaited her when the two of them left.

"Let's go pay our respects." She smiled, leading Draco behind her. She had his hand in hers, and the two of them began to approach the front. However, they'd gotten less than halfway there before she felt him stop abruptly. She turned to face him to ask why, only to see his jaw set. Ahead of them, to the right, it seemed the Golden Trio had made their way to the newlyweds first.

"Oh come on then, we'll come back up later." Astoria said, turning to go, but she was stopped as Draco once again didn't move with her.

"Did I tell you he wrote me? Potter?" She'd never quite seen that expression on his face before. He looked both troubled and a bit disgusted.

"What about?" She stepped closer to him, but she was surprised when he put his arms around her, drawing her back in. His expression softened when he looked down at her.

"Nothing really. Mostly thanks to my mum, but he wrote her a second letter. I think he wanted to know why I, well, it's not important. I didn't respond then, but I'm not going to hide from him. I have just as much right to be here, I've got nothing to hide." He looked forward, determined. This time, he was leading Astoria. So, when he stopped abruptly again, she collided with his back.

"Besides, I have you." He murmured, pulling her forward. He seemed to throw caution to the wind, marching right up to Chloe and Krum.

"Congratulations." Astoria actually thought it was fairly poetic that the two men had spoken at the same time. Of course, she then had the distinct displeasure of being in the middle of a very awkward situation.

"Malfoy." So clearly the animosity wasn't one-sided. Ron Weasley looked like he would literally like to kill Draco. It was odd for Astoria to be on that end of it.

"What are you doing here?" To his credit, Harry Potter sounded more surprised than angry. Still, Astoria bit her lip as she looked up to Draco's face. He was smirking, she'd known it before she even saw him. She rolled her eyes, and focused on the people they'd actually come to see.

"Congrats Chloe, Congratulations Viktor." Astoria said, breaking the silence. She leaned forward and hugged Chloe with all of her might, before doing the same to a beaming Krum. Hermione Granger seemed to be the first to snap out of that awkward fiasco.

"We're very happy for you Viktor. You made a beautiful bride." She nodded to Chloe. Both women turned to their respective parties, but the showdown did not seem like it would end. They were all clearly sizing each other up, searching for something to say. Astoria leaned in, fed up.

"I'm Astoria Greengrass," She introduced herself, feeling Draco slide an arm around her protectively. He had pulled her in almost too close, but she could only wonder what he was feeling.

"I'm Hermione Granger. How do you know Viktor?" Astoria didn't miss the way the other woman's eyes darted to Draco, but she supposed it was really more curiosity than animosity.

"My friend Anya, the dark haired one, her father is Bulgaria's minister to France. I went to Beauxbatons. We went to school together. Chloe is one of my very best friends. During a visit with Anya we met the team and the rest, I suppose, is history."

"You don't sound French."

"Watch it Weasley!" "Ronald!" Hermione and Draco spoke at the same time, and both seemed rather startled by it.

"Pardon monsieur, vous voulez que je t'en parle français? Parce que moi j'ai assisté au Beauxbatons pour sept années donc," to her credit, Astoria didn't say it unkindly. She smiled a bit at the end, trying not to grin at the sight of Ron Weasley's face going completely red.

"I would like to say he's not normally so rude but," it was the first time she'd heard Harry Potter speak to her, and he seemed more interested in giving his friend a hard time than actually speaking to her. Astoria turned to say something to Chloe, only to see the amused look on Chloe's face.

"I take it there is some bad blood here? No better a place to confront it than at my wedding." Although in Chloe's mind she sounded less French, there really was no mistaking her accent for anything else.

"I'm sorry Chloe." Draco seemed to have given up on the conversation altogether, aside from his reluctance to let Astoria move from his side.

"You really do look beautiful." He leaned in to kiss both her cheeks, before turning to Krum.

"Well, you ought to take good care of her then; you knew what trouble she was before you married her. Please don't do something that will have Astoria after me, I don't fancy a trip back out here just to knock some sense into you." It was the first time he'd seemed even remotely relaxed. Viktor, who Astoria thought had done a marvelous job of completely ignoring the tension of the situation, laughed at that. He pulled Draco into a somewhat awkward embrace that Astoria blamed on Krum being entirely too happy.

"Potter, Granger," he struggled to add "Weasley."

"It was, well, we ran into each other. It happened." He nodded to them and turned, still holding Astoria close. They had barely taken two steps before a voice called out,

"Malfoy, wait." They turned back around. Harry Potter, Astoria decided, was really quite awkward. She was surprised when Draco leaned down to kiss her, and then the two men walked off. Hermione and Ron looked at her somewhat curiously, but she spotted an old acquaintance from her year and quickly dashed off to make her pleasantries.

She never knew what was discussed between the two of them, but Draco came back in the exact same mood he'd left in. It was alright, with everything else going on in the background the incident was soon relegated to the backs of everyone's minds. The festivities soon had the two of them in such a good mood that Astoria almost forgot it had happened at all. At any rate, it certainly didn't deter Draco from his none-too-stealthy plans once they arrived back at the hotel.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

When Astoria returned home, she began very quickly to feel unpleasant. Every time she would talk to Nicole, she'd start to get an almost longing feeling. The few letters she'd gotten from Chloe, who was traveling with Krum, did nothing to make her feel better. Every day she saw Catherine, and every time these stabs of unpleasantness would come seemingly unprovoked. Worst of all was when she was spending time with Draco. Whenever they were together she felt instantly better, instantly closer to him. The second he left she felt empty.

The rest of March had already passed before Astoria put a name on what she was feeling. She was waiting. She was waiting for something big to happen in her life. The realization of exactly what she was waiting for came seemingly out of nowhere. She was talking to Catherine at their lunch break, as usual, and the topic of conversation was Draco. Catherine was asking Astoria how Draco was handling a difficult project he'd been assigned when one of the newer healers, a bright girl named Shawna, joined in.

"Who's Draco?"

"My fiancé." Astoria hadn't meant to say it. She'd meant to say he was her boyfriend. After all, he was her boyfriend. But that wasn't what had come out.

"My boyfriend." She corrected. She kept a smile on her face, inviting the younger woman to sit down. Inside, she was churning. Correcting Shawna had made the unpleasant feeling in her gut triple. She almost felt sick. She realized that she had been waiting this whole time for her relationship with Draco to move forward. Instead it was stagnant.


	21. Chapter Twenty

**A/N: For those of you who may not have noticed, I broke 100 reviews. I know this might not seem like a big deal to some of you, but for me this is huge! Delicate means so much to me, and to read all of your kind words throughout this process has been incredible. No, this is not the last chapter, but I feel like this is a huge milestone for me. That being said, I hope you keep reviewing and keep letting me know what you think.**

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Daphne Greengrass was impossible to live with, and Astoria didn't even live with her. Pansy had once again reported that Ulysses had been seen in a jewelry store, this time in magic Milan, and although the last few times Daphne had gotten this report it came to nothing, she insisted that this time she had a "feeling" that it was serious. Of course, Daphne didn't want to seem anything but confident in front of her friends, which left Astoria to bear the brunt of her fretting. So, for lack of anything better to do, Astoria was once again sitting down to tea with her cousin.

"Daphne, darling, what if he was just buying you a gift?" When Astoria had written to Chloe to complain about Daphne, Chloe had suggested compliments. She'd meant it as a jab at Daphne's intelligence, but Astoria secretly thought it might work.

"Oh!" Daphne flushed a bit.

"I suppose that could be it. Milan is supposed to be very romantic, and they have beautiful jewelry of all kinds. You don't suppose that could be it, do you?"

"Well I don't know if I can say for sure, I don't know him very well,"

"So you do. Oh, Astoria. I feel like I've been waiting forever for him to propose. I really do. There have been plenty of other men who have asked me to marry them and here I am like an idiot waiting for Ulysses. You're really rather lucky"

"Daphne, I really do have to get back to work. You're so lucky you don't have a job." Astoria did not want to hear whatever snide comment she was sure Daphne would make about Astoria and Draco. She left a couple galleons on the table and walked out of the door before Daphne could get in whatever jab she had prepared.

Later, she sat with Nicole. At Chloe's wedding, Nicole had been offered a contract yet again to model as her mother had. However, it was for some small designer working out of a tiny flat in Diagon Alley. Nicole had fallen instantly in love with the clothes. Rather than just taking some pictures, Nicole had taken over the young witch's business. Paichelle designs was run by Michelle Paisley, a softspoken witch with a talent for Charms and, in Nicole's opinion, an eye for clothes. So far she'd bought some simple fabric and was making simple designs, however Nicole had agreed to help her fund her business and model for free. Astoria was happy that Nicole had found something to be passionate about, although it meant she had to hear Apollo complain about Nicole always being busy.

"Are you alright?" Nicole asked as soon as they sat down. Astoria had met Nicole in her and Apollo's flat rather than going out.

"Oh, I. No." Astoria confessed, sighing. Nicole had never been that good at reading people, leaving her to wonder if her friend had matured or if it was obvious.

"Is this about Draco leaving the country?" Nicole asked. Astoria's sighed.

"Maybe, but not how you think. I'm really very excited for him. I think he misses France, and although he wasn't really in Paris, I think he's excited to practice his French again and see the city. He really wanted me to come with him but we're preparing for the next round of Healer trainees coming in and everyone needs to be briefed again. It's just, well, I feel like I've been waiting to feel like I want to get married. Now I do, and I feel like everyone has beat me to the punch or they're talking about it. I don't even know if Draco wants to get married, but I don't think I can bring it up." Astoria wasn't expecting Nicole to cut her off, and she certainly wasn't expecting Nicole to cut her off by laughing.

"Astoria, Draco would probably marry you tomorrow if you asked. He would probably dig up the one licensed official who would take his bribe and marry you today if he could. Everyone knows that you two have been waiting for you to feel like marrying him. Now you do. Tell him."

"I just, it's not that simple Nicole." Astoria was beginning to feel like it was that simple.

"I feel like our relationship has settled. I spend as much time at Malfoy Manor as I do at home, even though we don't see each other every day any more. When we do go out, I feel like we have a routine. But it's not just Draco. My whole life is a routine. And when he's gone to live his exciting life in Paris, it'll be just me here and my predictable life. I'm scared I'm going to miss him and" Astoria took a deep breath

"As daft as it sounds, I'm afraid I'm not going to miss him. He'll go have an adventure working in Paris. My life will just re-sort itself around him being gone and go on being mundane."

"Oh." It wasn't a particularly good sign that Nicole had nothing to say. Astoria waited for her to chime in, but Nicole took a long sip of her drink, and then bit slowly into a biscuit. Finally she sighed.

"If I told you to break it off with"

"No!" Astoria had to fight to resist glaring at Nicole.

"Why would you even suggest that?"

"If you won't even consider leaving him, then I doubt you'll just forget about him when he's gone."

"The truth is, I just, everything in my life is so stagnant. I guess I just had a picture in my head that one day I would know that I want to marry him and then he'd propose and we'd get married. We haven't even spoken about getting married recently. What if,"

"What if somehow Draco Malfoy has managed to see something else other than you? I hope that's not what you were going to say Astoria because I think we both know that you are being ridiculous. Draco would marry you tomorrow, he would marry you right now. This is about you. Please tell me what's wrong?"

"I want to get married Nicole but, I want it to come from him. I don't know. I want him to just know that I want to get married. I feel ridiculous but," Astoria sighed.

"I don't know how to tell him that I feel that way now. I have no way of knowing if he's even still thinking about it. We're really different now, our lives and who we are as people. I'm not the same Astoria that couldn't marry him, I trust him so completely now. But how do I know if he wants to get married now? I have no doubt that he wants to marry me, but his life is taking off. A wedding takes a lot of planning, and he's just transitioning into having this job. He's been promoted twice already. The ambassador really likes him. Who wants to take time out of that to plan a wedding? Back then the only thing he had to worry about was me and him, but things are so different now. He has real things to occupy his mind."

"You're being really ridiculous Astoria." Astoria had never seen Nicole look quite so hurt, and she didn't understand why until Nicole spoke.

"Do you think Apollo only wanted to marry me because his life was going nowhere?"

"No, he married you because he loves you, Nicole that's not what"

"Oh, but your friend Catherine. Engel only married her because his little job at the daycare wasn't real work so he had time to plan?"

"Nicole, stop, I understand. I didn't mean to"

"And I suppose that even being an international Quidditch player isn't as exciting as, you know, working in the ambassador's office in the ministry?" Astoria felt terrible. She didn't even try to argue, she just shook her head. Nicole didn't anger easily. She hadn't been angry with Astoria since they were still at Beauxbatons.

"If you're afraid to tell him that you want to get married because of his job Astoria, then you're every bit as weak as you're always saying your family makes you feel. You don't have to say the words Astoria. If you're really ready, he'll know. I suppose he might even squeeze you into his busy job schedule." Nicole stood abruptly, and then turned back.

"By the way, when Draco proposes to you, I don't suggest you tell him that you thought he wouldn't propose because he thinks work is more important than your relationship. I know you fought for this relationship Astoria, but so did he. I can't even believe that you would accuse him of being too busy to want to marry you. He has been waiting to marry you for almost three years. You must really be in a rut if you would think that Draco could ever put anything above you. If you asked him he would quit that job today, which is more than I can say for you." Nicole went to her room and shut the door, leaving Astoria at their kitchen table. She made her way out of the flat and without thinking about it apparated to the manor. She knew Draco wouldn't be home, but it wasn't him she was looking for.

"Astoria, dear, are you crying?" Astoria hadn't realized that she was. Narcissa frowned, putting an arm around Astoria's shoulders and leading her to one of the sitting rooms.

"Why are you crying?"

"I'm terrible." Astoria explained the whole conversation, and then ended it, still crying, with

"I don't doubt that he loves me. I know that he loves me. He makes me feel loved every single day. I know he wants to marry me, and I know I want to marry him. I'm just, afraid. I don't want to want it too badly, because I feel like if it doesn't happen this time it'll be my fault. But I can't help it. All I think about is getting married to him." To her credit, Narcissa Malfoy was not even half as offended as Nicole had been. She understood, she thought, where Astoria was coming from.

"When it came time for me to marry Lucius, you know what my mother's advice to me was?" Astoria looked up.

"Don't do anything that will make him change his mind. Keep it exciting. Remind him why he chose you. But you know what Astoria? My son will never change his mind about you. You don't need to make him ask you to marry him. All you need to do is relax. He will notice the change in you. He will ask." Hearing Draco's mother say it so absolutely made Astoria feel more settled than she had in a long time. When she finally got to bed she dreamt of flowers and white dresses.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Draco Malfoy was headed to Paris. Draco Malfoy was headed to Paris without his girlfriend. Draco Malfoy was abandoning his girlfriend in London, again, to go to France. Needless to say, there were some mixed emotions on his part. In an odd way, Draco had missed France. He missed the orphanage and the children, but he also missed the atmosphere. Since he'd taken Astoria there, he'd been eager to go back. It hadn't occurred to him until the opportunity arrived that Astoria couldn't exactly just take leave from St. Mungo's to vacation in France for two weeks.

If he was being honest with himself, it probably only bothered him because of how anxious he was. When he told Astoria where he was going, and realized that she couldn't come with him, he'd felt a shift in her mood. At first she'd been a bit withdrawn and sullen, and then the entire opposite. She'd been very present, spending most of her time with him. It was the best kind of torture, because he knew he would miss her while he was gone. He knew she would miss him too, which made him feel guiltier. However, there was another reason he was eager to go to France.

When Draco had told Astoria that he would wait forever to marry her, he meant it. He would wait until she was ready. He'd thought maybe she was ready when she'd finally confessed that she loved him, but he knew the timing was wrong. After Chloe's wedding, things felt different. He knew she trusted him again. So, he had a mission. When he got back from France, at the beginning of June, he was going to propose to her. He was going to keep proposing to her until she said she was ready. All he needed from France as the ring.

That thought, the mission he'd given himself, made it just a bit easier to leave her. It made it a bit easier to settle into Paris by himself. It made it a bit easier to stroll through the streets of wizard Paris in the dead of night and the early morning, the only time he had free to himself. It made it easier to go from meeting to meeting to ring shop to ring shop. The rest of his life was beginning, starting with finding the perfect ring. And then, one day, he did.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria still felt a bit awkward any time she was asked to visit the Bulstrodes. Millicent still didn't like her, and she didn't know how to feel around Ulysses now that he was so involved with her cousin. Still, her mother would kill her if she turned down an invite to the party that they were throwing. Now that nobody in her family was entering their season or single, there was no reason for them to go to the parties. It had been a long time since someone had thrown something lavish for the sake of it.

Astoria especially hated the idea of going without Draco, but he wasn't going to come home from France for one night to go to a party. As such, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy weren't going at all. The only friends Astoria would have there were Nicole and Apollo, who had been roped into going too. Nicole and Astoria were still in an awkward place after their argument, although Astoria had thanked Nicole for being blunt and telling her the truth. Daphne would be there, but Astoria did not expect to see much of Daphne amongst all of her friends and Ulysses.

Still, Astoria was forced to put on a gown and make her way to their home. Astoria personally loved seeing men in well-tailored dress robes. There was something very regal about it. Until her brother and Nicole arrived, she was doing her best to move around alone without seeming out of place. But she was very happy when she spotted them in the crowd.

Astoria had been walking around with Apollo and Nicole for what felt like forever before everyone was asked to sit. Then, instead of dinner, the lights dimmed and music began playing. Ulysses walked to the center of the room and extended his hand towards a very pleased looking Daphne. She stood to join him, and the two of them waltzed about while everyone else looked on.

"Are we supposed to dance too?" Nicole leaned in to whisper in French. Astoria shrugged. It seemed like the dance was just for display.

The couple danced their way to the middle of the room, and then just as suddenly paused. The music, everything, came to a halt. Right in the middle of the floor, Ulysses knelt and Astoria felt everyone in the room inhale deeply.

"Daphne, when I met you I swore you were the most beautiful, radiant woman I had ever seen. The more I got to know you, the more I wanted to continue getting to know you. You are not only stunning, but your heart is endless. Since I have known you, you have made me a better person. You have not just opened yourself to me, you have opened yourself to my entire family. My siblings love you almost as much as I do. My parents adore you. Everyone I know has seen what a positive role you have played in my life. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone but you. Daphne Greengrass, will you agree to become my wife?"

Immediately Daphne burst into tears, nodding and thrusting her hand towards him. Still kneeling Ulysses slid the ring onto her finger, a ring Astoria could see from her seat, before standing and pulling Daphne in for a deep kiss. The music picked back up, and the newly engaged couple danced again in front of everyone they knew.

On the one hand, Astoria thought it was incredibly sweet. On the other, she also thought it was very Daphne. A very public proposal in front of everyone Daphne interacted with and then some, followed and preceded by a chance for Daphne to have everyone's eyes on her. Ulysses clearly knew Astoria's cousin very well.

As the night wore on, Astoria was sure to congratulate her cousin. She couldn't begrudge Daphne her happiness, and Daphne seemed happier than Astoria had ever seen her. Rather than an heirloom, the ring was clearly new, and was larger than any ring Astoria had seen before. It was something of a statement, and she knew Daphne must love it. Nicole rolled her eyes at the extremely public proposal, but she still congratulated Daphne with a smile. The rest of the evening was very pleasant. Still, when Astoria went home, she missed Draco so much she felt emptied.


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

**A/N: You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and then you have the Facts of Life. The Facts of Life.**

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Astoria tried to be happy for Daphne. She tried to be happy when Daphne informed her that she was going to be the maid of honor as a formality because Daphne didn't really trust anyone except herself to plan her wedding. She tried to be happy when Daphne dragged her to a series of meetings straight after work so that they could choose colors and the "perfect date" for the wedding. She tried to be happy when Daphne asked if she would consider darkening her hair because all her other bridesmaids had darker hair and she was throwing off the aesthetic. She tried to be happy when Daphne set her "first" dress appointment for the day Draco came home and only changed it because Pansy had a hair appointment already scheduled. She tried to be happy when Daphne made snide comments about "at least one of the Greengrass girls" being married. So, when Daphne showed up at St. Mungo's in the middle of the day and told Astoria's boss that she was taking her lunch early, Astoria was on a very short fuse.

"Astoria, I have the worst news." Daphne pleaded, when Astoria turned to put her in her place. Astoria would always wonder why she'd fallen for it. From how miserable Daphne looked, Astoria thought maybe something had happened between Daphne and Ulysses. So, she agreed.

"Daphne, what's wrong."

"Not here Astoria, wait until we sit down." Astoria waited until they sat down, then until they had ordered. Daphne seemed to be hedging, bringing up random details about her wedding while avoiding the subject.

"Daphne, you're going to waste my break." Astoria finally spoke up.

"Ulysses is mad at me." Astoria sighed.

"Did you two row?"

"No. Well yes, but he's being so selfish."

"How so? What did he do?" Astoria was genuinely curious.

"He's making me make Millicent my Maid of Honor, because she's his sister." Astoria waited for the rest of the argument, but Daphne leaned back looking miserable. Astoria was confused.

"If you were worried that I would mind Daphne, I don't, I"

"This isn't about you Astoria! Don't you understand what this will mean? The Maid of Honor stands next to the bride. I don't want to be standing next to Millicent Bulstrode on my wedding day! You're pretty, I'm pretty, Pansy is pretty, Blaire, Autumn, Nicole, all pretty! I was going to stick Millicent on the end. Now, I'll have to stand next to her. And I can't have you next to Millicent either, she hates you."

"Thank you Daphne, but"

"Astoria. You understood that I couldn't have just anyone planning my wedding. But Ulysses wants me to include her in the planning. He says it's bonding for when we're, I can't even say it!" As the blank look on Asotria's face Daphne leaned in close. Up close, she was even prettier than far away.

"He says it's bonding for when we're sisters. Astoria this is never going to end. I'm going to have to be friends with Millicent for the rest of my life." Astoria didn't know what to say.

"I thought you were friends with her already Daphne."

"Well, I spend time with her but that's different. But Ulysses is going to think I'm such a bitch if we all stop being friends with his sister after we're married. It's her fault, she keeps talking about Pansy and Blaire and I like we're all buxom buddies. Do you know what Ulysses said before this whole thing started? He said that he knew I wouldn't mind because I had such a kind heart. But it's my _wedding_ Astoria, it's not just some day. And now we're in a huge row and if I don't agree to this he's going to think I don't like Millicent. Then, we're going to have an even bigger row."

"Couldn't you just tell Millicent and Ulysses that you want to share this moment with your family, before you become a Bulstrode?"

"Are you mad? No. Millicent thinks you're awful, probably because Draco likes you so much. I think she used to fancy him in school and you didn't even go to Hogwarts. She can be very bitter."

"You could say your mum" Even Astoria had to stop at that one. Perhaps Daphne's mother would agree that Millicent shouldn't be her daughter's Maid of Honor, but she wouldn't advocate that strongly for Astoria either.

"You could just put the bum work off on Millicent. Let her choose chairs or flowers?" Daphne's eyes narrowed.

"I cannot think of a single thing I trust her to plan. Any decision she makes I'd have to supervise. Bu that's not the point Astoria, even if she wasn't going to be involved she'll throw off my aesthetic."

"Well, Daphne." Suddenly, Astoria had an idea. It was a terrible thing to say, but she wanted to leave the lunch before she ended up fired.

"Won't that be better? Because you're standing next to Millicent, you'll look even more beautiful than normal. She'll be like a beauty buffer between you and everyone else." There was a pause where Astoria thought it might not work. Then, Daphne was suddenly beaming.

"Astoria, you're so smart! Oh, it'll be perfect. I can't wait to tell Ulysses I agree with him. Of course! I can see it now. Millicent next to Pansy, they both have dark hair. Then you in the middle being all blonde. Then Blaire and Nicole together have dark hair too, and then Autumn has hair almost as red as mine so nobody will even notice how much you stick out!" Astoria chose to ignore the comment, choosing to flee to work. But work proved no less stressful.

"Astoria, you're up for evaluation." Were the words that greeted her within 5 minutes of her entry.

"Pardon?" Astoria fought her way through a few other Healers to a bulletin board she hadn't bothered to check. Forty Healers would be chosen each year and evaluated to see if they would make good one-on-one mentors for the incoming class of hopeful Healers. But being less than five years into her work at Mungo's, Astoria hadn't expected the evaluation.

"Why?" she asked, when she finally found her way.

"Everyone above has done it too many times or flat out refuses, so it's you me and Catherine." Robert Tide was a nice enough man, although Astoria and Catherine always privately joked about his overeager nature. Still, Astoria could see him being much better as a mentor than she was.

"How do I refuse?" She asked, staring at the board again.

"At this point, you can't." He said drily, and that was that. Twenty minutes later Astoria found herself sitting in the office of Magnolia Partridge, one of the head matrons.

"Astoria, you came very highly recommended from your head of department" the woman praised, once formalities were out of the way.

"Thank you. I must say, I didn't expect to be brought for evaluation so soon."

"Why not? You have a lovely rapport with patients, you keep a calm head, and so far your performance has been consistently splendid. People seem to like you enough. Do you think it would be a challenge for you to handle a shadow?"

"I suppose not." Astoria said, after a moment of consideration.

"I don't like to be distracted when I'm with a patient during an examination. I would answer questions though. I can still sympathize; I think I still have nightmares about training. It was worth it of course, but the program does move very quickly."

"Yes, well, I suppose that's true. We like to give our Healers time to have their own lives."

"I understand." Astoria smiled.

"Very well." That was it. Astoria was surprised to find herself dismissed barely five minutes after she sat down. A few days later, she was confirmed to go through training to potentially train a new Healer, along with Catherine and Robert. She spent the rest of that day in a mood that was made no better when she went home to find Daphne waiting for her.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

The ring was burning a hole in Draco's pocket. He'd known it was the perfect ring the second he saw it. His plan was to propose to Astoria the second he got back, dropping to his knee and pulling the ring out. That dream was destroyed by the short letter he got from his mother days before his return, detailing the engagement of Daphne Greengrass and Ulysses Bulstrode. For the sake of propriety, there was no way Draco could propose to Astoria so close to her cousin's engagement.

Then, the question became how long he was supposed to wait. Ideally, Draco would have proposed to her a month later. However, Daphne decided to have a last minute planning party to discuss which particular shade of off-white would work the best for her wedding gown. Then, he had wanted to do it on his birthday.

Draco was not one for planning what he was going to say. However, he thought that he could ask her for a special birthday gift. He would take out the ring, hand it to her, and ask her if he could have her hand in marriage for his birthday. Astoria and Draco had planned to have a small dinner together in the manor, and he had told his parents to be conspicuously absent. He needn't have bothered.

Astoria showed up alone, beaming. He went upstairs to get the ring and tuck it into his pocket. When he came down, everyone he knew was there. The manor was transformed. Banners hung suspended in the air, all proclaiming "Happy Birthday Draco." In the center, Astoria stood looking so eager. It was just like the parties his mother had thrown him when he was younger. Draco was torn.

Of course, he could have still proposed. But he wanted it to be more personal. He knew that if he proposed, Astoria would think her impromptu party had ruined his proposal. And, he really did enjoy it. It was nice to relax with everyone he cared about. Astoria had thought of everything. When everyone went home for the night, he and Astoria celebrated in an entirely different manner. Overall, it was the best birthday he'd had in a very long time, and he told her so.

Still, her birthday was coming up soon after. When she left for work the next morning, he told her to clear her schedule for her birthday. He told her that he had something planned, a surprise. He told her he would pick her up from work, and not to expect to see anyone for the rest of the day. The second she left, he began thinking. He thought all day about what he wanted to do, what he wanted to say, and how he was going to do it until at last he was satisfied. He was tempted to write Chloe and ask her what she thought, but he decided to hold off. He knew she would love it because she loved him.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

It seemed like Daphne Greengrass developed a new problem every day. Although Millicent was supposed to be Daphne's maid of honor, and although Daphne said she wanted to be in charge of everything, she bounced every idea off Astoria. So, Astoria was almost not surprised to find Daphne waiting for her.

"Yes, Daphne?" She didn't need to bother with pleasantries. Daphne was sure to take off with her demands and questions.

"What are you doing on the twenty-ninth?" Daphne asked, beaming.

"Well, after work I don't have anything to do."

"You're working?" Daphne sounded confused. Astoria sighed.

"Yes Daphne. I'm working."

"How quickly can you get off?"

"Off work? I get out at six."

"No I meant, the day off. The first version of my dress is finished." Daphne was beaming. Astoria bit her lip.

"I'm sorry Daphne, I can't just take the day off work."

"You took off for yours and Draco's birthdays." Daphne looked confused. Astoria sat down, she had a feeling it was going to be a long talk.

"Yes but Daphne, Draco's my boyfriend and it was his birthday. I was never scheduled to work on my birthday. This is only the first appointment for this dress. Even you admitted that you probably won't wear this version. Even if you do, there are still two more appointments. Or, if you could push it back I could come after work."

"I don't understand why you won't just take off."

"I don't understand why you won't just move the appointment. It's not set in stone is it?"

"I can't just move the appointment."

"Well I can't just take off work."

"Really Astoria, I expected you to be bigger than this."

"Daphne, I am not going to take a day off work because you refuse to reschedule your fitting appointment. I don't understand why you can't have it without me."

"Why are you being so selfish about this! I'm getting married Astoria. It's one day of work."

"I'm being selfish Daphne? The only person you're thinking about right now is yourself. Maybe if you worked you would understand. I can't just take off because I feel like it. I have to have a legitimate reason, and my head of department is not going to see that as being legitimate. I'm sorry."

"No you're not. You're just being petty."

"I'm being what?"

"This is about Draco isn't it?" A part of Astoria's mind realized this was a road she probably didn't want to go down, but brushed the thought aside.

"Excuse me?"

"You just, why are you being like this Astoria?"

"No, please explain this to me Daphne. How is this about Draco?"

"You're just bitter because if Draco Malfoy was going to marry you he would have proposed by now and everyone knows it! You," Daphne cut herself off. The room was silent.

"Astoria, that was, I didn't mean," Daphne looked sorry, but Astoria didn't care.

"Leave."

"Astoria, I didn't mean to say that. I was just angry." Astoria didn't even wait for Daphne to get up. She stood, coat and all, and walked back out of her house. When she showed up at Nicole and Apollo's doorstep, she was already crying. Apollo took one look at his sister and ushered her in.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

A/N: There's a little bit of a riddle, or an inside joke if you will, hidden in this chapter. I'll give you a hint, it has to do with birthdays. Other than that, please enjoy. I think it's safe to say that this is something everyone has been waiting for.

Astoria avoided seeing her parents at home for an entire day, however she knew she couldn't impose on Apollo and Nicole for much longer. When she went home her mother tried to get her to talk about it, but she held off. She continued to refuse communication with Daphne until eventually her mother showed up one morning in her room.

"Astoria, darling, you have to speak to her she's your closest cousin and she's getting married." Mrs. Greengrass swept Astoria's hair to the side and kissed her forehead as she had when Astoria was younger.

"Good morning mother." Astoria replied glibly. Astoria knew that Daphne was probably sorry for what she said. Even Daphne would never be so intentionally cruel as to say what she'd said and not take it back. But the fact of the matter was that Astoria was tired of her cousin. She was tired of Daphne saying whatever she wanted and doing whatever she wanted and never apologizing. Of course she would be in Daphne's wedding, she had to. But, she wasn't going to speak to Daphne about it any more than she had to.

"Darling, how are you going to be a part of her wedding if you won't talk to her?" Her mother tried a different approach.

"She can mail me the dress and I'll show up on the day of the dress rehearsal. That's what I did for Chloe's wedding." Astoria could feel her mother's frustration, but she was determined not to budge. For once, Daphne had gone too far.

"If you'll excuse me, I have work. You may have forgotten in the wake of Daphne's wedding, but my birthday is coming up. If I wanted to take the day off I have to put in hours and I can't be late." Astoria felt a bit bad about the dig. She knew her mother would never forget her birthday, but she was tired of the talk of Daphne's wedding. It was all her mother had spoken to her about since it became clear that Astoria was avoiding her cousin.

"Of course I haven't forgotten your birthday Astoria. I thought you were spending it with Draco. Did you want us to do something?"

"No. I just want to have peace. I just want to go to work, and come home, and not have to hear anything about Daphne."

"Alright." Astoria was surprised. Her mother nodded once and stood.

"Have a good day darling. See you at dinner." Her mother hugged her, catching Astoria by surprise and pulling away before she could hug back, and then walked out the door. Astoria knew she should probably feel bad, but she didn't. Instead she smiled. Of course then she hurried, she wasn't really joking about being on time to work.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Draco Malfoy had outdone himself. He really had. His plans for his proposal to Astoria had all gone the way he wanted them to go. Everything had been taken care of. He knew what he was going to do, and how he was going to finally ask her. Now that he knew she'd gotten the day off of work, he had planned out every second of their day. He wanted to make sure that she knew she was loved, and that it was the best birthday she'd ever had.

Of course, his job gave him a lot of free time. Now that Draco had established a positive rapport with the French Ministry, he had been given a lighter work load. According to the Undersecretary to the Ambassador, the French Ambassador to England had been very impressed with him and had personally requested that he be brought back whenever there was work to be done. He supposedly had a promising future in foreign affairs. It had been a long time since Draco had heard anything positive directed towards him. It went immediately to his head, but he tried to keep that to himself. At work, at least. He had no doubt half of London had heard him bragging at one point or another when he went out with his friends.

Draco knew that Astoria and Daphne were fighting, although Astoria refused to tell him what Daphne had said that broke the camel's back so to speak. However, he hoped that she would tell him in time. At the very least, a part of him hoped they might sort it out by the time he proposed. He never knew why Daphne and Astoria were close, aside from their shared blood. However, as he had no cousins to speak of, he imagined that it was a complex relationship.

As such, the relationship wasn't fixed by the night before Astoria's birthday, and Draco wasn't sure what to do. So, with nothing else to do, Draco sought out Daphne. At the Greengrass house, Daphne's mother let him in with a charming smile. He resisted the urge to role his eyes, saying that he had to speak with Daphne and it was very important. She let him right in. He found Daphne in her kitchen, looking frazzled. When she saw him she paled.

"I am so sorry!" Daphne said. She scurried out of her chair and took a step back away form him.

"I'm not here because of what you said. I don't even know what you said. I'm here because I need to know how you're going to make it up to Astoria. I suppose you're not going to invite me to sit?" If there was one thing Draco could be it was haughty.

"Oh, of course." Daphne sat down immediately, nodding for him to take a seat. He did. She sighed then, looking down at the book she'd been reading and then up at him.

"I don't suppose you want to help me decide which charm I want to put on my favors?" Draco felt himself sneer and Daphne quickly pushed everything away.

"I'm sorry. Astoria always, well. I've tried to apologize, but she doesn't want to talk to me. I said something really horrible, but she's never been so angry with me."

"Daphne, have you ever considered that you always do things like this to Astoria. This is simply the first time she's ever been angry enough not to forgive you. You're going to have to put actual effort into apologizing." Daphne recoiled as if he'd slapped her. At first she looked like she wanted to argue, but then she sat back brow furrowed. When she finally looked back up at him she looked worried.

"I'm not that bad, am I?" Draco shrugged. It was up to Daphne to consider that. He stood then.

"Thanks for the chat." With nothing else to speak about, Draco showed himself out. He didn't know if his visit would have helped, but it was what he could do.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria woke up at ten, excited for the day. Draco had told her to sleep in until whenever she wanted. Although she hated mornings, she was too excited to sleep any longer. Knowing that he wouldn't expect her until noon at the earliest, Astoria sat down to a nice light breakfast with her parents. As usual, her father presented her with a small gift at the table, and told her that she would get the rest of her gifts after she'd finished eating.

Astoria opened the box to a small hair pin.

"It was my grandmother's. It's very old." Her father said. He smiled and winked at her, but she felt as though she was missing the joke. Still, the old pin was beautiful.

"I don't know when I'll wear it, but this is lovely." Astoria beamed, standing to give her father and mother a kiss. For the rest of the meal, she listened to her mother tell her stories of all of her past birthdays. Then, after receiving her other small gifts she went up to her room to get ready.

Before she left for the manor, Apollo and Nicole stopped by. Apollo had started a new job in Gringott's, and according to him it was the best job he'd ever had. Nicole had agreed to pose on the cover of Witch Weekly and to do a spread, but only if she could wear Paichelle designs. Under her influence the designer had already experienced a huge increase in sales, but Nicole wouldn't rest until everyone was wearing her. Nicole herself was wearing one of Paichelle's designs. They were shorter robes, styled to be ultra-feminine. Astoria had to admit that they looked very cute. However, what made the outfit was a beautiful necklace in silver with a white flower that bloomed and closed back up on loop.

"That necklace is beautiful Nicole." Astoria couldn't help but admire it.

"Really? I'm glad you like it. I have one in every color if you would ever want to borrow one. They were a gift from Michelle, an exclusive line just for me. But, I got her to craft something special just for you. This has never been done before, it's truly brand new." Nicole and Apollo gave Astoria a small box. When she opened it, it revealed a delicate silver set of earrings. They were small, but when she touched them they glistened.

"Hold them up!" Nicole enthused. Astoria did as she was told, and watched as they caught the light. To her surprise, they shimmered in the light. Then, they ever so delicately rearranged themselves. The silver pooled in her hand and reshaped itself to a simple flower. Then, it reshaped back to the same silver loops.

"They'll reshape themselves to match whatever you're wearing. I don't know how she came up with this, but I thought of you instantly."

"I love them." Astoria beamed.

"Well, let's not keep you. We'll take that and go see Mum and Dad, and you'll find them in your room." Before Astoria could even process, Nicole and Apollo had taken the earrings and were already halfway down the hall.

"Thank you." She called, before finally making her way out.

Astoria arrived at Malfoy Manor at exactly noon. She was so excited she couldn't stand still. When Draco finally opened the door she was practically bouncing.

"Ready?" He asked, stepping out instead of letting her in. He didn't wait for a response, grabbing her around the waist and apparating them away.

"Surprise!" He said seconds later. Astoria looked around, a bit confused. They were in the middle of Diagon Alley.

"Er," Astoria looked around again. When she looked back at Draco, he was smirking down at her.

"You don't remember this spot?" He asked. He pulled her in for a hug, leaning down to kiss the top of her head.

"This is where I was standing when I met you. This is where we were when you changed my life." Astoria's eyes widened and she felt her pulse quicken.

"Oh." She said, smiling. Draco grabbed her hand gently, leading her through the crowd. When she'd met him, everyone gave Draco a very wide berth. Now, the two of them were jostled along just like everyone else.

"This is where I brought you to get clothes made, and where I commissioned what was admittedly a perfect gown for you." She moved to go in, but before she could Draco leaned down and kissed her.

"This is also where I noticed that you were breathtakingly beautiful. And you get more beautiful every day." Then he pushed the door open, leading a dazed Astoria inside. Instead of other customers, the small store owner, or any other sign of human life, there was just an empty dress rack and a stand.

"Hop up!" Draco tilted his head towards the stand. Astoria smiled, and quickly hopped up.

"Happy birthday." With a wave of his wand Draco revealed a beautiful sundress. The dress was eerily reminiscent of the gown Draco had designed for her the first time. The color was a lighter green, but the trim and detail were the same silver. The shape of the dress was similar as well, although the skirt was just above knee length.

"According to Nicole, you are under exclusive contract to wear what her friend the designer has made for you or else. So, the dress is of my design, but these are not." With another wave of his wand Draco revealed a matching pair of the beautiful short robes Nicole had worn. She wondered if he knew that she'd seen Nicole in them before she left.

"Oh, Draco." Astoria moved to step towards the dresses, but with another lazy wave of his wand the dresses drifted lazily towards Astoria. Wearing them, she noted how soft the fabric of the dress was. It felt like a hug as she put it one. Similarly, the robes seemed to hug her. They both fit perfectly, and she wondered how Draco could have gotten her proportions without her knowing.

As soon as she had changed and been duly admired by her boyfriend, Draco brought her back outside.

"Now this part was difficult. I remember vividly how good it felt to dance with you, and we haven't danced like that since. I was going to dance with you in the Manor, but then I thought of a better idea." Again Astoria felt him close his arms around her, and seconds later they were standing in an alley.

"I must admit, I'm still not terribly fond of muggles. But, they have the most convenient facilities." Draco murmured. He wasn't kidding. As they walked, Draco kept his arm firmly around Astoria, and pulled her away from anyone who came too close. The two of them stopped in front of a door advertising a dance studio. Not knowing what to expect, Astoria followed Draco in hesitantly. They climbed a staircase, and passed a desk. Then, they walked through a door and Astoria was instantly transported back to her ball.

Couples in matching gowns and dress robes were already dancing. They twirled past, and Astoria turned to Draco in wonder. She couldn't imagine that they were all wizards that she'd never met.

"They're all muggles, so the dress robes were a bit of a challenge. But, apparently money talks even more in the muggle world than in ours." Draco smiled, and Astoria smiled back. True to his word, Draco led Astoria through several dances. She knew he'd chosen the dances before, simply due to how many of them involved her being pressed against him. While he'd been respectful that day, he was anything but in the moment. He seemed to take every opportunity to bring Astoria flush against him, as well as to let his hands slip. Astoria couldn't find it in her to mind.

"Turnabout is fair play Draco" she whispered as one of her actions caused him to stop abruptly.

"Yes it is, but you shouldn't start something we can't finish when I've put so much into planning this day Astoria." Draco chastised just as quietly. Astoria felt herself blush, but she did as she was asked.

When the last song came to an end, Draco leaned down to kiss her. Astoria was not a fan of public displays of affection, but nothing could have stopped her from kissing him.

"Are you up for a late lunch?" Draco asked. Truthfully, Astoria hadn't realized it had gotten so late. Still, she had a feeling she knew where they were going to go. Sure enough, after carefully leading her back to the ally, Draco apparated them to the little café they'd first gone to. This time she didn't have to wait for him. He led her back to the same table, and she saw that he'd reserved it for them. A waitress, not the same one, arrived almost the second they'd been seated.

"May I start you off with something to drink?" She asked. To Astoria's relief, the waitress didn't stare at her boyfriend, but kept herself professional.

"Butterbeer for now?" Draco asked. Astoria nodded, smiling. The waitress nodded, and went to get the bottle. At that moment, the door opened and three blurs ran from the door to Astoria and Draco.

"Dragon!" Astoria gasped and turned. Everyone had gotten older. Natalie was six, and instead of climbing the chairs she sat herself down calmly. Astoria smiled when she noticed that Natalie had scooted her chair a little closer to Draco. The twins were now themselves three year olds. Astoria had seen them a few times, but she could tell they barely recognized her. Still, she opened her arms to hug them.

"Hello." Astoria didn't know if it was seeing them again or Draco's attention to detail that was getting to her, but she was so happy she had to hold back tears. The waitress came back with six bottles of butterbeer, indicating that she had been in on the surprise.

"Happy birthday Astoria" Their mother said as she sat down.

"Happy birthday!" Everyone else chorused. The meal was lovely. Astoria had fun hearing Angelus and Angeline babble about their day, and preschool, and hearing Angeline brag about the toy broom she'd gotten for being well behaved. When it was time to leave, Astoria knew it was officially the best birthday she'd ever had.

As they stepped outside, Draco stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"The next parts of our story I don't want to remember. I don't want to celebrate them. A part of me died when I left you. That part of me stayed dead until the moment I saw you again." With another pop, they disappeared and reappeared in front of the ice cream shop in Diagon Alley. Astoria moved to enter, but Draco gently stopped her.

"We're not going in today Astoria. We're just remembering. I remember that when I saw you, you were still wearing your Healer's robes." Instead of apparating, Draco and Astoria took a leisurely walk to the front of St. Mungo's. When they got there, they stopped.

Catherine has something for you, I'll be back." Draco started walking away, but before Astoria could go after him Catherine rushed out.

"His time schedule is eerily accurate. You two arrived exactly when he said you would, to the minute." Catherine said by way of greeting. Then she threw her arms around Astoria.

"Happy birthday, you're going to remember it forever." When they let go of the hug, Catherine handed Astoria a box.

"I saw this and I thought of you." Astoria opened the box to a delicate silver bracelet.

"Thank you" Astoria said, turning it over in her hands. As she turned it, she noticed a small charm on the bracelet. Woven throughout the links on the bracelet was a small snake charm. As soon as Catherine helped her put it on, the snake opened its eyes to reveal tiny blue sapphires. It then proceeded to slither through the links in the bracelet. Catherine then helped her take it off, and put it back in its box.

"Draco would kill me if I let you carry this around, so I'll mail it to you. But I hope you like it. It's just a little something blue."

"I love it." Astoria smiled. As Catherine walked away, Draco walked back up with a smile. He held out a hand to Astoria, and she smiled and took it. Instead of apparating, he once again began walking.

'Where are we going?" Astoria asked.

"No more surprises love. We're going home." Draco sounded noticeably more nervous. It was just then that Astoria realized he'd changed into dress robes. They walked down the path for a bit longer, until without warning Draco wrapped his arms around her and whisked them away once again.

"It's a bit early for dinner, but I thought you might want to take a walk on the grounds?" Astoria didn't think she could ever get tired of walking around the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Walk they did. Draco kept her close. He stopped several times to kiss her, and she sensed that her birthday was coming to an end. She doubted he had anything else huge planned. They passed her garden, the bulbs and dirigible plums bouncing merrily, and then they finally entered the Manor.

"Dinner should be ready soon Astoria, did you want to freshen up a bit?" Astoria was blown away. Literally, the entire inside of the manor was decorated with floating candles. She didn't know where to look first. She almost missed Draco's question, but she nodded at him before stepping towards the bathroom. She didn't get very far.

"Wait, Astoria, one more thing." Astoria turned back, wondering what else Draco could possibly have planned for them and there Draco was on his knee. Astoria gasped loudly, her eyes widening.

"Draco" she breathed.

"When I was younger on my birthday my mum used to wish me everything I deserved in life. She used to tell me not to settle for anything. You already know that I think you're more than perfect. My father likes you and he doesn't like anyone. My mother, who used to say she would never like my wife, adores you. I don't think I could ever deserve you, but I am in love with you. I never thought I would love anyone enough to care to about them more than I care about myself, but you are literally everything to me. Would you do me the honor of finally becoming my wife?"

Astoria had never seen Draco look nervous. He had kept his cool for the most part all day, and she knew how much effort that must have been. She knew that the proper thing to do was to say yes. But suddenly, she understood Chloe's reaction. Instead of speaking, she knelt down in front of him and pulled Draco's face to hers. It was a long kiss, one that made her glad that his parents weren't around. When she finally lent back she extended her hand, and Draco slid the ring on. Then, she was airborne as he picked her up, wrapping her legs around him and kissing her deeper still. She wasn't aware of her surroundings at all until she landed on his bed with a soft thump.

They never quite made it to dinner. It was, in fact, the best birthday Astoria had ever had.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

**A/N: So, I have opened a poll for my next project, if you guys would want to read something else from me. It features five of the things I'm currently working on, across a range of genres and even fandoms. Or, I would also be open to suggested pairings, as I've thought of a few before. I have a lot of next generation fics that I'm in various stages of writing, all of them centered around multiple characters, so I'm not open to too many suggested next-gen pairings but I would love to know who you might like to see. My next big fic will probably be in the Twilight genre (please don't hate me :P) or the Legend of Korra genre but I might possibly be persuaded to post another Harry Potter fic first. Just to clarify, after this there are two more Chapters and then Delicate is finished. The Epilogue, as you know, is coming on Christmas. I probably would start posting my new story in January. As usual, enjoy and please review! **

* * *

"Astoria you have a visitor in my office. Be quick." Nobody had ever visited Astoria at work, not even Draco. Nobody wanted to; Mungo's was a fairly depressing place. Still, Astoria thought it might be Draco. He had seen her every single day since he proposed, just to call her his fiancé. But, when she opened the door, Draco wasn't sitting there. Instead, she saw a familiar head of red hair.

"Daphne, I don't want,"

"Astoria I'm sorry." Daphne looked as though she'd been crying. It was that, and only that, that made Astoria pause. Daphne kept going, blurting everything out in the fear that Astoria would leave before she could finish.

"I never should have said that. I didn't mean it. I know I'm always saying some tactless things to you, but I know that crossed the line. I just, I was so frustrated. I just wanted you there. I'm not always good at showing it, but I do care about you. You're my cousin; you've been my best friend since we were little. Then you went to Beauxbatons and I never saw you. You have all your French friends and I just feel like, I thought if it was Chloe's wedding you would have taken the day off. But I know that's not fair. I was wrong. I didn't mean to say that. I really don't know where it came from. Everyone knows Draco loves you. I knew he was going to propose. Everyone knew he was going to propose. I just, I feel like you never have time for me anymore. You have a job. You have Draco. Your friends live all over the world. I just wanted you to be as excited for my wedding as you were for your friends'."

Astoria sighed. She knew that if she walked out, Daphne wouldn't say anything. But she couldn't do that. Instead, she sat down.

"Daphne, I think that maybe we've just grown up to be really different people. That's not anybody's fault. Sometimes, we both are going to do things that the other person can't understand, or finds annoying, or hurts the other person. So Daphne, I'm sorry if you felt like I wasn't excited for your wedding. I am. I am so happy for you. I'm sorry if I made you feel like I was too busy for you. But you can't demand my time like that. It's not like when we were little. I can't just drop my friends and my job and my boyfriend to help you. I need you to respect my time." The room was quiet, and then Daphne took a deep breath. Astoria waited for the tears, but Daphne mashed her lips together until she'd gotten control of her emotions.

"I think, I can do that. It means a lot to me to hear that you're excited for me to get married Astoria. I can't wait to help you with your wedding too." Astoria bit her lip. If you'd asked her earlier that day if Daphne would help in her wedding, she would have laughed. But, she couldn't say no. She realized that, in a strange way, she did want Daphne there.

"Good. Now, I do have to get back to work, but I expect you to tell me when the next meeting is to decide things." Astoria smiled. Daphne beamed back.

"Absolutely!" She said, rushing out of the room. Seconds later she came back in.

"Thank you Astoria. Have a great day at work." With no warning, Daphne threw her arms around her cousin. Astoria hugged back, smiling. She had told everyone that fighting with Daphne wasn't affecting her, but for all Daphne's faults she was still Astoria's cousin. Besides, being Draco's fiancé left little room for her to be upset about anything else.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Draco Malfoy was a very big fan of pomp. He liked lavishness, expensive things, and visible displays of wealth and class. It was how he was raised, and it was how he planned to raise his children. That being said, even he thought the wedding between Daphne and Ulysses was one of the stupidest displays of abundance he had ever heard of. Part of him was almost upset that Daphne and Astoria had reconciled.

When Daphne asked him to help arrange something he did it as a favor to the Greengrass family. He hadn't expected her request. He thought she wanted something imported from France that was perhaps less than legal, or she wanted a favor from someone in his department. Instead, she wanted his help convincing the Department for the Regulation of Magical Creatures to allow her to use two Unicorns in her wedding ceremony

He didn't know why he'd agreed. It was ridiculous of him to agree. Yet, he had. Thus, he was having the most awkward day of his life, trying to explain to the man in charge of such requests what he wanted.

"I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy but we can't just lend out a pair of unicorns for your wedding"

"It's for my fiancé's cousin's wedding."

"Yes well, whoever's wedding it is, unicorns can't just be bought for money. If you would like to enter the Forbidden Forest and corral two yourself that's one thing but as for now I can't see that being allowed."

"Look, there isn't some sort of form that could be filled out?"

"Mr. Malfoy, what would you have me do? Bend the rules simply because you work in the Ministry? Or perhaps you thought you could buy your way through me? Well I'm sorry, but your family's money is no good here." The man sat back looking very satisfied and pleased with himself. Suddenly Draco understood what the problem was.

"Very well." He nodded, standing.

"The ambassador will be so disappointed. He told me that you were the man to come to. But, thus is life." In truth, Draco had spoken more to the French ambassador to England than to the man who was technically his boss, but the man in front of him didn't know that.

"He did?" The man seemed a bit nervous, exactly as Draco had expected.

"Yes. He did. But there's nothing to be done so I'll just tell him it wasn't possible. Too bad too, he was just telling me how he made a similar request, but that must have been some years ago. I'm sure things changed since then."

"Oh, well, yes." Draco kept his face neutral as the man seemed relieved.

"I'll just have to see if we can get them from France." He said. The man immediately sat straighter. Draco knew that if he tried to import unicorns, the man in front of him would have his hands full with paperwork. Of course, the man couldn't say no, not if the French Ministry allowed it.

"You know, Mr. Malfoy, I've just remembered something you could try." The man was suddenly very willing to help. Draco had to fight to keep his face neutral.

"Oh?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. That evening he was able to send Daphne a letter letting her know that she would have the distinct pleasure of having two Unicorns in her wedding. Although, as they couldn't really be led, Draco had to wonder how she planned to get them to do what she wanted.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Draco Malfoy hadn't felt quite so inadequate in what felt like a long time. He was sitting with his fiancé trying to decide who would be in his wedding. Draco knew who he wanted in his wedding: Blaise and Gregory. He knew that Apollo would be in it as well, as he was Astoria's brother. He hadn't expected to have to choose more people, and yet there they were. Astoria wanted Catherine in the wedding party and needed Daphne to be in the wedding party, so they were trying to choose two more people.

Draco had racked his brain, but he couldn't think of anyone he knew. Well, he could, but half of the people he'd been friends with had ended up in Azkaban. Or, worse, they had died in battle. It was a bit depressing to think about, not a memory that he wanted to associate with his wedding.

"Astoria, I'm having a hard time coming up with two more people. Can't we do this later? We haven't even set a date."

"Draco think." Astoria knew she was whining, she knew it was unattractive, but she was so tired. With everyone fawning over Daphne and her wedding, Astoria had thought that at least selecting the people who would be in her wedding would be a breeze. Instead, they'd been sitting there for almost an hour while Draco tried to think of people.

"Astoria, I am thinking. I wanted to have Jasper in the wedding but I know him and he will refuse. You're the one who didn't want Krum in the wedding. I've already chosen Zabini and Goyle and I'm trying to think of who else I know that I would actually like to celebrate this with."

"Can't you just pick two people?"

"What, out of a hat? That's romantic. You and your closest friends and me and two blokes off the street?"

"Don't you have any friends?" Astoria hadn't meant to snap at him. She was just frustrated. But his face got colder than she'd ever seen it before.

"I'm sorry. I seem to have misplaced my friends in fucking Azkaban but I hope that doesn't put a damper on having five people stand next to you in this bloody wedding. I know, let me go back in time and bring Crabbe back from the dead to join me and you and the five fucking people you apparently can't live without. You don't even like your cousin!" Draco had never lost his temper with her. Even when Astoria had gotten angry with him, even if they'd argued, he'd normally been the cool and collected one. Before she even had a chance to apologize, he'd stormed out of the kitchen. She heard the front door slam next, and she could only assume he'd apparated away. She surveyed the table.

"I'm sorry" she said to nobody.

"I shouldn't have said that." With that, she stood up from her table and made her way to her bedroom. She figured if she was going to be miserable she wanted to do it from the safety of her own room.

Astoria planned to let Draco stew over his anger. She was sure that he wouldn't want to speak to her for a while. Draco, however, had other plans. Scarcely two hours later he showed up at the door.

"I'm sorry." Astoria got out the second she saw him. Therefore, she was very surprised when he reached forward and kissed her.

"I didn't mean to yell at you or swear at you." He said once they broke apart.

"I've felt guilty since. I can't believe you're apologizing." He continued.

"I didn't mean to snap at you. If you want, I can just tell Catherine and Daphne that they can't be in the wedding." Draco started shaking his head before Astoria had even finished speaking.

"No, it's fine. I decided."

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

On Daphne's wedding day, Astoria was woken up at the crack of dawn. Daphne had booked an entire team to help everyone prepare, rather than having her friends and family help her get ready. Astoria had to floo to the preparation site, from which they would take a portkey to the site of the wedding. Daphne had kept it such a big secret that Astoria had yet to see the actual wedding site, only the practice in the Bulstrode back lawn.

Astoria wanted to dislike the spa on the basis that it was entirely unnecessary. Indeed, she wasn't in the best of company. In addition, she was still upset that Daphne, deciding that her ceremony wasn't ridiculous enough, had invited Nicole to be a part of the wedding to balance out the hair color scheme. When Nicole had accepted, Astoria had half wanted to hex Nicole's hair a bright blonde to throw off Daphne's scheme, especially after the two of them had fought. By the time Astoria set foot in the spa she was ready to tell Daphne off for being so extravagant. However, she had to admit that relaxing while a team of experts with wands poised showered her in jets of water and generally made her feel beautiful was a great way to spend the morning.

Once Daphne's bridal team was sufficiently beautified, they were led to a part of the salon that had been reserved for their dresses. Each bridesmaid was tasked with putting on their bridesmaids gowns while a team of three witches helped Daphne into her gown. Astoria had to admit that she was especially glad not to be the maid of honor when she saw the gown Millicent had to wear. Millicent had never warmed up to Astoria, so it was a bit satisfying to see her in her lilac maid of honor dress. The dress itself was lovely but it was not suited to Millicent's shape or coloring.

Astoria had to admit that Daphne's dress was beautiful if a bit over the top. It made her hair really pop, and made her skin look like it was glowing. Her hair was down, pinned back a bit but otherwise left free. She had never looked prettier.

Once everyone was all done up, Daphne insisted on taking copious pictures. By the time the women were finally ready to floo to the venue Astoria's face was beginning to feel sore. She was surprised when they stepped out. Rather than being in a fancy hall, Astoria was standing in a rather plain reception hall. Although it was decorated with Daphne's wedding colors of lilac and green, it was very simple. However, once Daphne began to usher them down the hall Astoria understood that the room was merely a vessel for the fireplace. She brought them to a small room, explaining that the men knew not to go into the room.

Shortly after, the bridesmaids were ushered out of the room. Wedding staff remained to tell Daphne when to make her entrance, so Astoria walked out with everyone. The wedding setup was beautiful. It was outside, under a large tent that looked like it had grown from the trees surrounding the sitting area. Although Astoria was not fond of the idea of walking through the grass, she admired the fact that the green of the bridesmaids dresses matched perfectly. Lilacs not only grew to line the path to the front, they also grew over the chairs. Overall, the wedding seemed to be happening in a beautiful meadow, but Astoria could tell that copious amounts of effort must have gone into the setup.

Ulysses was the first person to walk forward, once every guest had settled into their seats. Then, the procession began with Millicent and Holloway. In pairs, Pansy and her husband, Astoria and Lucian, Blaire and Marcus, Nicole and Arnold, and Autumn and Cyprus Rosier walked to the front of the room. Then, finally, it came for Daphne to appear.

Appear she did. Daphne drifted out of the sky in a way that Daphne thought must have been through use of a portkey. Once she landed, she walked slowly up the aisle. She was smiling larger and more radiantly than Astoria had ever before seen her. As she walked, she only had eyes for Ulysses. Astoria was pleased to see that she seemed to be having the same effect on him. The wedding proceeded as normal until it came time for the exchange of rings.

At first, Astoria thought they were going a very old and traditional route. A little girl with dark hair who must have been a Bulstrode walked slowly up the aisle. Following her, however, came two unicorns. Astoria couldn't believe her eyes. The rings were tied to their horns. The little girl had to coax them up the aisle, which Astoria thought was both adorable and ridiculous. Once they reached the front, Daphne gently retrieved both of their rings and handed them to the ministry official who was marrying them. Then, while the girl led the unicorns off to the side, the minister finished the ceremony.

Astoria and the other members of the wedding party pulled out their wands and showered them with sparks as they kissed for the first time as a married couple. Then, as they walked, the tent began to rain lilac petals over them.

Astoria didn't understand how Daphne could go from a natural if slightly extravagant wedding to such an overdone reception, but then that was Daphne. After taking more pictures than Astoria had ever taken before at one time, they moved locations yet again for the reception. Once her duties were finished, Astoria went and sat with Draco.

"In four months, this is going to be us." He murmured as she sat down. Astoria leaned against him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't know if I can wait that long" Astoria sighed, looking around. Being in Daphne's wedding had given her so many ideas for a beautiful wedding she was eager to begin planning. She was eager to choose dresses and send invitations. But most importantly she was eager to be married.

"Hmm?" Draco maintained that he would marry Astoria the next day if he could.

"I really don't." She insisted, leaning back to look at him. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure.

"When would you want to have it love?"

"October." Astoria saw Draco's expression shift.

"Two months?" Draco knew how much went into wedding planning. Two months seemed like a stretch even with the decisions they'd already made.

"Two months." Astoria confirmed. Her fiancé broke into a wide smile.

"We'd better get planning."


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

**A/N: Countdown to the end. Second to last Chapter. Once again, please review and please visit the poll on my homepage.**

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Draco Malfoy did not care about flowers. He did not care about place settings. He did not care about tablecloths or chairs or the shape of the tables or anything. Yet, there he was again trying to form an opinion on everything. Nicole had come to help but Astoria insisted on him giving an opinion on every single decision there was to be made. Therefore, when Nicole went home for the evening, he slid over to Astoria.

"You know we don't need any of this, right? I could and would marry you tomorrow without any kind of flowers or anything."

"I know." Astoria was distracted, trying to figure out a charm that was supposed to charm a napkin to fold into a rose. So far, the roses she'd made looked alright, but they were nowhere near as pretty as the one in the picture. If done correctly, the charm would cause the flower napkin to wave in an imaginary breeze. Hers kind of flopped about feebly.

"Really. Bugger all this, we could sneak away and get married right now and nothing would change." That caught her attention, that and Draco gently taking the stack of napkins away.

"But don't you want people there?" Draco sighed.

"There is a reason we invited every single person either of us knows, and it's because I want every wizard in England to understand that you are mine. That being said, I'm sure that with some persuasion we could easily make the front of the prophet. Are you considering it?"

"No. I want to marry you Draco. I want to do it right. I know you think everyone wants me, but I am very aware of how many women there are who would love nothing more than to marry you. I want there to be absolutely no doubt that you are entirely off the market."

"I was entirely off the market the second I met you Astoria. If you don't know that at least then I have not been doing my job properly. I" he leaned down and kissed her,

"Love" he kissed her again, this time a bit longer,

"You." Both Draco and Astoria were suddenly very happy that they'd decided to examine the samples from Draco's home.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

Astoria was regretting her decision to move the wedding up. The Healer hopeful she was training was a very tall girl named Penelope. Penelope was a bright girl with a lot of questions, meaning that Astoria had to break everything down for her. Although Astoria was fond of Penelope, and thought she'd make a great healer, she was consistently leaving work late due to the added schedule.

One evening, after a long day at work, Draco and Astoria were walking through Diagon Alley to meet with a baker to choose the flavor and design of their wedding cake.

"Cake, is something that I am very good at." Draco boasted, as the two of them strolled casually.

"I hope so. You said you wanted a chocolate cake, so he's going to give us more chocolate than you've ever had."

"I'll bet you that I've had way more chocolate cake at home." Draco took a second to notice Astoria stop cold, with a worried expression on her face.

"I never even thought about that." Astoria said suddenly.

"About what?" Draco asked. They had clearly thought enough about the cake.

"What about, you know, where are we going to live?" Draco stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. Then, ever so slowly he said,

"In the manor?" Draco looked concerned. Astoria frowned. She had been trying to be careful not to start an argument, but she was confused.

"Not eventually. Now. When we get married. Where are we going to live?"

"In the manor. In the West Wing. My mother's been bugging me forever to bring you to begin redecorating but I thought we could do it after the wedding, together." Astoria opened her mouth to respond, but then realized they had arrived.

'We're speaking about this later." She said, trying to keep her voice light. They walked in, and immediately her nose was filled with the scent of baked goods.

"Welcome!" The baker looked very different from how Astoria imagined. She'd pictured a round and jolly old man. This man was tall, with muscular arms. He looked more like a HitWizard than baker. Rather than smiling, he nodded to them.

"You have a design in mind." It wasn't a question. Astoria stepped forward, towards his counter.

"This one over here wanted to go with his colors in school, and I said that we couldn't represent one school and not the other. So our colors are green, powder blue, and silver and he wanted, you know what, you tell him."

"It's tradition in my family to have a snake on the cake, and since the Beauxbatons crest features two wands, I wanted to have a snake clutching a wand."

"But tasteful." Astoria added. The cake maker studied them for a bit, not saying anything. Then, he nodded.

"First, we do flavors. Then, we do design." Draco and Astoria nodded, and followed the baker as he led them further into his shop. Aside from the pretty little cakes in his bakery he had several larger cakes on display, including one that made Astoria pause.

"This is so pretty" she sighed. The cake was deceptively simple. It had alternating layers wrapped in ribbon or surrounded with flowers. However, as she looked closer, she saw that both ribbon and flowers were made of edible materials.

"Astoria?" She was jolted out of her observations to see Draco standing next to a table with a large grin on his face. On the table, there were little squares of cakes in all different flavors. They were all variations on chocolate cake, more than she'd ever seen before. They were separated by country, and then by type of cake.

"Are there any countries you know you don't want cake from?" Astoria looked at all of the samples. She thought that if she tried one of each from each country, she would end up eating an entire cake by herself. Draco looked excited, but she personally thought it wasn't prudent.

"What are the best three countries for chocolate?" she asked the baker.

"In my opinion, Switzerland, Belgium, and Italy." Astoria smiled.

"Then let's just try those." With a wave of his wand, samples from other countries began to put themselves back onto shelves. He then walked them over to the Italian chocolates.

"Now, let's begin with Italy. Here we have a molten cake. Melted chocolate inside the cake will fill your mouth with chocolate at every bite." When Draco bit into it he looked like he was in heaven. Astoria had to admit, she hadn't liked the sound of the cake. But, instead of being gooey, the chocolate inside was smooth as it filled her mouth."

"Now, water. Make sure you rinse the taste out of your mouth." Astoria did as she was told. It was a bit disappointing to go from chocolate to water, but she made sure it was done. Waving his wand about, the baker kept things moving.

"Here is a red velvet cake." This one she did not like as much, although she normally loved it. Compared to the molten cake it was slightly disappointing. She rinsed just the same. The baker took her through cake after cake. Some, like the double chocolate almond cake, were so good she wanted more. Others, like a chocolate crepe cake, were disappointing. When they had finally gotten through all of the cakes in Italian chocolate, they started the process again in Switzerland, and then in Belgium. Once they took their first bites of Belgian chocolate, Astoria knew what Draco was going to want.

"We'll have a cake in these." He said, as soon as they'd had their first cake. The baker laughed at that, startling Astoria. In the hour and a half they had been there so far, he hadn't even smiled.

"You have very expensive taste sir!" He said, smiling. Draco smiled back.

"Of course I do. What about it then?"

"Belgian chocolate is almost all hand crafted, not processed, that is why the taste is so pure. It is also why it is very, costly."

"That is no problem." Draco said, smiling. Astoria wanted to argue, but she knew there was no point. Even if Draco hadn't already loved the cakes in Belgian chocolate, she knew that hearing that it was expensive would persuade him to want it.

"How many flavors can we choose?" Astoria asked.

'That, dear, depends on your design. Let's go." Suddenly the baker was all business again. She had to wonder if he was just going to be like that with her. He led them at a brisk pace towards a large sketchpad, where with a wave of his wand quills of all colors of ink presented themselves.

"Typically, people like softer colors for cake, is that something you would want?" He asked. Astoria nodded before Draco responded. She looked up at him and he shrugged his indifference.

"Very well." He nodded again.

"Round cake or square cake or did you want the cake itself to be shaped like a snake."

"I rather liked the idea of the snake wrapping itself around the cake." Draco said. Suddenly, the baker seemed inspired.

"Of course!" He said, picking up a quill that was in a pot of soft gray in. He began to design the cake quickly. The cake itself he left blank, simply drawing four tiers of a round cake. However, over it he began to draw an elegant snake. It was thin enough to look like a ribbon at first. It wound its way around the base of the cake and then wrapped itself up and around each tier before arriving at the top. Its head was nestled around the top layer of the cake, and in its mouth it lazily gripped a wand, which hung out and down. Across the cake.

"Remind me of your colors dear?" Astoria did as she was asked, and watched as the baker waved his wand. Quills of different ink colors began to work furiously on his sketch. There was so much movement that Astoria couldn't even see what was going on until, suddenly, they put themselves back.

The cake was beautiful. There were six alternating layers. Every other layer was either blue or green. The layers with green were a green base, with white curling wisps that Astoria realized were tiny snakes. The blue layers were actually white, with a vine pattern in powder blue that was eerily similar to that in the Beauxbatons crest. Around them all the snake was silver, each scale detailed. The wand was silver as well, and rested gently on the cake. From the end it produced small green and blue sparks. The drawing was so vivid Astoria almost wondered how a cake could look anything like it.

"Yes, now." The baker nodded, distracting her from her thoughts. Next to her, Draco looked incredibly pleased.

"Let's talk flavors. Two for the alternating layers. One for the snake and the wand. One for the top tier, which I assume the two of you plan on sharing." Astoria hadn't thought of it, but it sounded nice.

"Do you have any preference?" Draco asked. Astoria blinked back at him, unsure what he was asking. He evidently took it as a no, turning to the baker.

"How about a molten chocolate for the snake and the wand, and a chocolate wine cake for the top." Astoria smiled. Molten chocolate had been his favorite, and the wine cake was hers. She thought it was sweet of him to choose her favorite for the top.

"Then, how about velvet cocoa cake and chocolate ginger cake for the other layers. I feel like most people will like one of those." Astoria was almost surprised to find herself agreeing, but then she felt bad. Draco was a lot of things, but he was very aesthetically intelligent. She imagined that with Narcissa Malfoy as a mother it would he hard not to be.

"Very good. If that will be all, I will need to experiment with this right away. You, sir, have given me quite a challenge." The baker smiled again, but Astoria instantly felt bad.

"If it's too much trouble, we could change the design." The baker scoffed.

"If I can't accept a single challenge, why do I even bake." He asked.

"No, no. There will be no change. This cake" he paused to point to the image

"Is the cake you will have at your wedding." With that, it was done. He raised an arm and guided them they emerged, Astoria felt fuller of chocolate than she ever had in her life. Next to her, Draco wore the largest smile.

"Bring me to more things like that. Have we finalized the menu for sure? I think we need to try everything again, with some cake, to make the best decision."

"I can't believe you want our wedding cake made with Belgian hand-made chocolate." Astoria giggled.

"I can't believe you wanted to compromise on the design. That cake is beautiful." Astoria rolled her eyes.

"That cake is impossible. That man is going to almost kill himself to create it."

"Then he'll have died for a worthy cause." Draco laughed, before leaning down to kiss Astoria.

"Let's go home." Draco said it with a smile, but Astoria stepped back.

"About that. We're really going to live in the manor?"

"Astoria, where did you think we were going to live?"

"Are your parents moving out?"

"Why? We have our own wing."

"You keep saying this like it makes a difference!" Astoria was getting frustrated. She was fond of Malfoy Manor, and realistically she knew it had to stay in the family, but she hadn't expected to live there for years.

"I don't think you understand." Draco said, shaking his head. Less than an hour later, Astoria found herself in the West Wing of the manor.

She had never been there before. Malfoy Manor was comprised of the main wing, then a west and east wing. The main wing was very large, as she already knew, but she'd assumed that the other wings were merely additions. As she looked around the entrance to what was to be her home, she realized she was mistaken.

The west wing of the manor was very elegant, although it had clearly not been used in a long time. As Astoria explored it, she felt more and more ridiculous. The west wing had its own grand kitchen and formal dining room. Like the rest of the manor it was three stories not including the basement ballroom or the attic area which connected to all three wings. It had an office. It had several bathrooms. It also had nine bedrooms, including a master suite. It took them almost half an hour to walk through it, and it would have been longer if Draco hadn't kept Astoria from looking around too much. When they finally arrived back at the front he raised an expectant eyebrow.

"Don't be so smug." Astoria didn't have anything else to say. He'd been right.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask you, when are you going to start moving your things over?" The question caught Astoria by surprise. She'd almost forgotten that once she was married her things had to go with her.

"Have you already started?" She asked, curious. Draco smiled down at her.

"I've moved a few of my things. But I don't have nearly as far to move as you do. My mother brought it up at dinner yesterday because you're going to want to be moved before the wedding day. Once we leave after the wedding you won't want to come back and have to move."

"Why won't you tell me where we're going?" Astoria asked. Draco laughed.

"The point of a surprise tends to be surprising the other person Astoria."

"Please?" She tried, widening her eyes and pouting a bit. Draco's response was to laugh.

"No. But, I've thought of something." He then grabbed Astoria gently by the hand and led her gently back through the manor.

"Now, this will be our bedroom." The room was a bit dark. The wallpapering was a deep gray, and the furniture was all dark wood. Although Astoria liked the room, it wasn't somewhere she could see herself living. She turned to Draco to tell him as much but he beat her to the punch.

"Obviously, it doesn't really suit either of us. The wing is ours to do with as we please. My mother has said that if we come up with a plan for the wing, she can see to it that it's decorated and ready for us by the time we arrive." Draco walked forward as he spoke, until he opened a side door.

"This will be your closet. Mine is on the other side." He pointed to another door. As he moved around, Astoria imagined herself living there and waking up to Draco every morning. The thought made her feel warm and soft on the inside.

Draco opened his closet but Astoria had already walked into hers. The bedroom was much larger than Astoria's back home, but she'd expected that. She hadn't expected, however, the size of the closet that was apparently just for her. It was literally the size of her bedroom at home, without any windows.

"Why two closets?" Astoria asked, once she'd stepped outside. She hadn't expected Draco to come back towards her and as a result she almost mowed him over.

"When this place was built ladies gowns were very large and took up a lot of space, and a Malfoy woman would own many different gowns. The separate closets were practical. Mine is smaller." Astoria went to look, sliding past Draco and across the room to open the door.

"This is what I'd expect." It was still huge. Maybe not quite as large as her room, but still huge.

"I'm not sure we need two huge closets." Astoria was thinking out loud. Draco laughed from somewhere behind her.

"We might as well though. What would we need with the extra space?"

"A nursery." Astoria had been thinking aloud and hadn't meant it, but at her words Draco began to choke.

"I'm sorry, what? Is, did we, did I miss something?" Draco looking at her with such concern it made her burst out laughing.

"In the future. I think it would make a nice nursery. It's worth thinking about, unless you have something to tell me about."

"Oh, of course." Draco looked a bit sheepish, which made Astoria laugh again.

"For now, let's just move your things into the bigger one with mine. If we do need the extra space we'll use it."

"Alright." Draco said. He opened the next door and Astoria made her way into the bathroom. It was massive, although Astoria had come to expect that. There was a large tub that reminded her of the ones in the 7th year girls' bathroom at Beauxbatons, only bigger. It was almost a small swimming pool. There was also a shower, again much more spacious than it needed to be. It was beautiful. The marble was salt-and-pepper and gorgeous. Looking at it, she realized how she wanted to room to be decorated.

"I know what I want to do in here." She said, as she emerged from the bathroom. Draco lay back on the bed.

"We need a new bed." He said, laughing.

"We need new everything." Astoria sighed, flopping down next to him. But it's going to be amazing when it's done. As Astoria began to tell him her ideas, her mind was racing. More than anything, she wanted to begin to redecorate the wing. It was hers to do with as she pleased, and although she admired the elegance of the wing, if she was going to live there she was going to make it warmer. Before she could though, she would need to explore it.

The next day, she packed up all of her wedding planning materials and brought them to the manor, along with some of her clothes. After putting her clothes up in the closet, she spread her wedding materials across the old dining table. From then on, she decided, all of her planning was going to be done there. That way, if she needed a break she could explore and design another aspect of what would soon be her home.

**~~~~Delicate~~~~**

"What about flowers dear?" Narcissa asked one day as Astoria and Nicole poured over books. Astoria had finally decided how she was going to seat everyone. While she knew she and Draco had wanted to invite as many people as possible, she hadn't actually realized how many people that was. She'd invited her entire year at Beaubatons, Ulysses and everyone who'd been in that wedding, the families of all of her bridesmaids, her extended family, and several other people. Draco had invited his entire year at Hogwarts including those individuals he had disliked the most, most of the people he knew in London, all of the pureblood families, and several other people. Overall, their wedding audience was almost two hundred people. Seating them had been a challenge, but Astoria had finally conquered it. However, next was the problem of the centerpiece at the reception.

"You don't think I need something more, fancy?" Astoria asked. Narcissa smiled and sat down.

"No. Lately everyone does favors and little gifts and edible things. I think something classic would be beautiful."

"What about orchids Astoria? You like them and we couldn't fit them in your bouquet. Powder blue orchids with healthy green stems in a glass vase tied with silver ribbon. Simple. I like it, it's very you." The more Astoria considered it, the more she liked it.

"That sounds lovely." She said, still thinking about it.

"We could put little silver stones in the vase around the flowers. I like it." However with that decided, the conversation took the turn Astoria had wanted to avoid.

"Astoria, when are you going to choose your dress?" Narcissa asked. Astoria realized at once that it was probably the reason she'd entered in the first place. Astoria opened her mouth to respond that she'd get to it when her planning was done, but Nicole cut in quickly.

"Please don't be angry Astoria, but we all booked you an appointment to find a dress. It's tomorrow, when you get off work. We're going to find our dresses and your dresses. Daphne and Catherine are coming even, and I have Chloe and Anya's sizes." Astoria sat back.

"Oh." She sighed, not having anything else to say.

"We did it for you. There are three weeks Astoria. You should have had your dress a month ago."

"Why? They can alter it when I get it. I just, there are so many other things for me to worry about." Astoria sighed.

"It won't feel like you're marrying him until you get the dress Astoria." Astoria didn't have a good response for Narcissa's words.

Thus, the next day Astoria found herself standing in the middle of a room as Daphne, Narcissa Malfoy, Catherine, and Nicole looked through Paichelle's boutique. Astoria was not surprised Nicole had insisted that her friend design Astoria's dress. She didn't mind either, as so far all of the gowns she'd tried had been beautiful. It had taken her two dresses to identify her bridesmaid's gowns. Most of her bridesmaids would wear them in a beautiful silvery blue, and for Chloe she'd chosen a lovely green that she knew would suit her features.

It had been difficult for Astoria to choose between Nicole and Chloe for her maid of honor. Chloe had been there for Astoria more times than she could count, but recently Nicole had been very prominent in her life. Then, Draco reminded her that if Chloe had never tracked him down, they might never have reconciled. To her surprise, when she'd tried to explain it to Nicole, Nicole had laughed. According to Nicole it was 'obvious' that Chloe would be Astoria's maid of honor.

With her bridesmaids' dresses chosen, Astoria had tried on dress after dress. Several had been stunning, but none of them felt right. She was beginning to suggest coming out another day when Michelle Paisley herself walked in.

"You're so pretty." She said, as Astoria stood in a gown. The tail of it reached the floor and dragged a bit.

"But that dress is all wrong. It's too much. I have the perfect one." The small witch disappeared. It was silent in the shop for a bit, until she came back with a gown. Without letting anyone take a good look at it she shoved it towards Astoria's hands to change.

When Astoria came back out, she didn't even make it to the pedestal. She made it right until her eyes met the mirror. Then she stopped. The dress wasn't large. The bottom was simple and flowy, with only a sight train. The top was ruched, with a slight beaded pattern. As she moved, the beads glistened by themselves. The dress wasn't that amazing. But on her, it looked perfect.

"This one." She said, before anyone had even commented. Their opinions were irrelevant. She knew Narcissa Malfoy had been right. This was the dress she was going to marry Draco Malfoy in, in less than three weeks.

"It's perfect." Everyone agreed.

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**A/N: Seriously, please go to the poll! **


	26. Conclusion

**A/N: PLEASE READ.**

So, this is it. I debated for a long time whether or not I wanted to mark this as being complete. I promise I'm keeping my word and posting an Epilogue on Christmas. Still, to me, the story of Delicate ends here. As some of you know, this has been a very long process. I started writing this when I was a freshman in high school, posted it, took it down, reposted it, revised it, and now I'm a freshman in college and it's finally finished. This was my first serious attempt at a multi-chapter fic, and to see the positive response it's gotten has been amazing. I want to thank everyone who read this, followed it, reviewed it, and favorited it. You all have really made this something special for me. If you do want to read something more from me, I encourage you to vote in my poll on my homepage. That being said, I'm ending it just how I said I would. With a wedding.

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That morning, Astoria was woken up by the sounds of people scurrying around outside her room.

"Is the bride awake yet?"

"Leave her be, let's find Catherine."

Confused and groggy, she walked to her wardrobe to find something to wear. But, there was nothing in the closet except one single white dress. Suddenly everything in her head was exactly where it needed to be.

"I'm getting married." Over the past few months she'd packed together all of her things and slowly moved them to the wing of Malfoy Manor that was to be her home. Having seen the nine-bedroom estate that supposedly composed a "wing" of Malfoy manor she was no longer displeased to be living with Narcissa and Lucius. However, it was an odd thought that she had just spent her last night calling her parents' residence home. From that point on she would only be there as a guest.

On a small shelf next to her dress sat her birthday gifts. An old hair pin that ended up matching her dress perfectly, a new set of earrings, a beautiful necklace that Astoria had in fact borrowed from Nicole, and her beautiful blue bracelet from Catherine. She smiled at them briefly before sparing one last look at her dress.

Leaving her wedding gown, Astoria walked hesitantly to the door. Upon opening it, she was greeted by the sight of her mother, hand poised to knock. Her mother's eyes were slightly red, the only sign she was going to get that her mother had been crying. Indeed, as soon as her mother registered Astoria's presence, a wide smile crossed both of their faces.

"How do you feel?" Mrs. Greengrass asked. Astoria stepped aside to let her enter the room.

"I feel" Astoria trailed off. She didn't know how to feel. She was excited to marry Draco. She had been excited to marry him for a long time. She was the one who sped up their preparations so that they could be married faster. In that moment though, everything felt very new. The reality of leaving her home and her parents behind made everything feel more permanent. She wanted to delay it just a little bit, crawl back into bed and not get up for another few days at least. Then, she also wanted to find Draco and marry him that instant.

"I understand." Mrs. Greengrass said with a smile. It was strange for her to think of living in a home with no children after almost twenty-five straight years of being a parent. She remembered her own wedding day, so long ago, and wondered at the fact that her littlest baby was having a wedding of her own. Still, she remembered the emotions of that day vividly. She would do anything to make the day just as special for her daughter.

"Well, it's your day. What shall we do first? There is a very large breakfast downstairs courtesy of your soon-to-be in-laws. There is also a luxurious bath only seconds away from you. Or, we could skip all of that and you could throw on your dress." Astoria hugged her mother then. The emotions of leaving home were currently winning due to how sweet her mother was being.

"Your father is at the breakfast table waiting for you." Mrs. Greengrass whispered. Astoria brought her mother with her all the way downstairs. Sure enough, her father was sitting in his usual chair as if there wasn't a massive feast piled in front of him. Daphne and Nicole were standing in the kitchen with full plates, although both of them were talking more than eating. Anya was getting to know Catherine as Chloe ate and laughed at the appropriate places. Astoria smiled at everyone as she passed them, and sat next to her father.

"How are you darling?" Mr. Greengrass asked. Astoria was not terribly close to her father the way that she knew some girls were. But she liked to think that the two had a very good understanding of each other. She didn't say anything in return. Instead, she leaned in and kissed her father on the cheek. Eventually, Astoria's bridesmaids joined her at the table and her mood shifted. Suddenly, she was terrible excited again. Less than forty minutes later she had powered through her breakfast and Chloe and Nicole were herding her towards the bath.

When she arrived, Catherine and Anya stood beaming, and gestured to the tub. Someone had charmed it to be twice its size, and it was already full of steaming water. After teasing her about standing there to watch her bathe, her friends left the room leaving Daphne to help her get in. Daphne did just that, although not without first making a point to tease Astoria. To get her back Astoria splashed Daphne, leaving the latter covered in water which she quickly waved away with her wand. Daphne stuck her tongue out as she left, but at that point Astoria was too relaxed to retaliate.

She soaked until her skin began to wrinkle, before stepping out in the robe her friends had left her. She knew that once they'd left they had gotten ready as well. When she made it back to her room, Chloe and Catherine were already dressed, and were helping everyone else get there as well. They told Astoria to sit down and wait while they all finished getting ready. As she waited, her mother and her soon-to-be mother-in-law fussed over her hair, poking at it with their wands. As she watched, it curled attractively, before tucking itself up onto her head. A few wisps in the front fell back down, but when her mother moved to fix it Astoria stopped her.

"I like it." She said.

Once her bridesmaids were done getting ready, they all helped Astoria into her dress. It fit her perfectly, and looking in her mirror it gave her the same feeling it had given her when she'd first tried it. She felt like a bride. Everyone fussed around her, waving wands around and generally fussing over her. Astoria didn't mind. She loved every single person in the room, especially Daphne in that moment, as for once she'd fought her need to make everything about her.

"You look beautiful Astoria." Chloe sighed, once the wand waving was finished. As Astoria had predicted, the green looked lovely against Chloe's skin. All of the women, including Astoria, wore silver shoes to match the theme. As Astoria put on the remaining accessories, her mother reached up and tucked baby's breath flowers around the pin in her hair, making the old pin even more beautiful, as well as practical.

"Nearly done." Her mother sighed. With a final flourish of Anya's wand, Astoria was considered complete. She was finally allowed to see herself.

"Oh." She said, once she saw her reflection. On one hand, she didn't look fundamentally different. She was still the same Astoria. But, she certainly looked more. She didn't know where to look first. It was a bit overwhelming. Everything was a bit overwhelming. She smiled.

"Is it time?" She asked. Chloe laughed.

"You're Welcome." She chastised. Astoria felt herself blush.

"No, I look beautiful Incredible. Better than I've ever looked in my life. Thank you all so much. I just, I want to marry him. I feel like I've been waiting for such a long time."

"Then let's go." Mrs. Greengrass hugged her daughter, before leading all of the women out of the room. They walked down the stairs into the front hall, where there was now an old umbrella leaning against the wall.

"Should be a few minutes now." She said, grabbing the umbrella. Astoria looked at her mother then, really looked.

"You look beautiful." She said, beaming.

"So do you." Mrs. Greengrass replied. She tried to keep it light, but Astoria could tell that her mother was trying not to cry. To distract her, Astoria grabbed the umbrella.

"Come on then." She said, and everyone crowded around her. She knew her father would have apparated over before. None of the women wanted to risk apparating and getting hurt, so they figured the portkey was safest. Sure enough, they arrived exactly where they meant to, right outside the venue.

At first, Astoria and Draco had both wanted to get married at the manor. When they considered their guests, they decided to do it somewhere a bit less personal. Fitting two hundred people on the grounds of the manor meant someone would have to clean up when everything was said and done. Instead, Astoria and Draco decided to have their wedding in an old castle. Muggles saw it as a ruin, dangerous to enter, but magic had actually kept it quite nice. The wedding itself was outside on the castle's massive back lawn, and the reception was to be held in its beautiful ballroom. Astoria had agonized over every little detail. However, as Chloe pressed the bouquet into Astoria's arms, she felt eerily calm.

At the rehearsal, she had been a bit of a nervous wreck. She had scrutinized every detail of the setup as she walked. The pews needed to be straighter, the walk needed to be longer, everything needed to be better. But in the moment, she felt like her life had brought her exactly where she needed to be. Everyone could have been sitting on the ground for all she cared. She was anxious to marry him.

The door to the room opened, and a line of men came in. They all wore the dress robes Draco had chosen. She had thought he would choose silver dress robes, but instead he'd chosen a deep black. She loved them. The groomsmen wore ties that matched the bridesmaids dresses. Blaise, Draco's best man, wore a green tie that matched Chloe's dress. Draco himself was supposed to wear a silver tie, and just to infuriate her, Astoria was sure, he hadn't let her see it. They all looked spectacular, and Astoria noticed that her bother seemed to think the dress looked great on his wife. Normally she would have laughed, but she was preoccupied. She wanted the wedding to begin.

The traditional song began to play, alerting Astoria to the fact that Draco was already lined up. Inside, with the shades drawn over the door, Astoria was tempted to pull them back and peek. She knew what Draco looked like in dress robes. She wanted to see him. Her mother and father and his parents got to be the first to walk out. She envied her mother, for getting to see how beautiful her fiancé looked before she could.

Then, the witch who was tasked with coordinating rapped once on the door. It was the signal for Catherine to walk out with Marvel Pike, a man who had been a year ahead of Draco in school. Apparently, his mother had moved him to California when he was in his fourth year, so he was never involved in the war. They disappeared and Astoria sighed. Only four more before her.

After a pause that felt like a millennium, the quiet rap was heard again, and this time Anya walked out with Theodore Nott. Astoria personally didn't like Nott, he had a tendency to leer at her when he thought Draco wasn't looking. Apparently they had been fairly decent friends in school, but Nott had disappeared shortly before the war began because his father Nott senior was all bark and no bite. Once they had gone, Chloe slid up to Astoria and put an arm around her.

"The one time it's understandable for someone to be nervous, and you're completely collected Astoria." Chloe teased. Astoria smiled back.

"I feel as though I've literally waited for this my entire life. I want it so badly I almost feel ill." Chloe let out a quiet laugh.

"Yes, well, it will happen soon enough. You're a beautiful bride Astoria. When Draco sees you there's no telling what he'll do."

"You'd better worry about what she'll do when she sees him." Nicole teased, joining in the conversation. There was a rap at the door again, and Daphne and Gregory Goyle walked towards the door.

"You really do look stunning Astoria." Daphne smiled before she slipped out. Astoria had thought Daphne was silly for worrying about the aesthetic. However, when it was her turn, Astoria could admit that she didn't necessarily want to stand next to Daphne. The bridesmaids dress suited her perfectly, and she was lovely as usual.

"That boy better watch himself with my sister in front of all of these people." Apollo said, trying to stand tall. Nicole kissed him on the cheek, and then batted him away.

"Because you were such a gentleman at our wedding?" She asked, shaking her head at him.

"You should be happy that my father couldn't hear what you whispered in my ear before we walked away."

"Oh you've made her blush!" Chloe scolded gently, as Astoria's cheeks grew pink.

"Even better. She's pretty when she's all flushed. You know she's going to blush when she sees Draco anyways." Nicole opened her mouth to respond, and then broke into giggles.

"No, you're right." She conceded eventually. Astoria tried to be indignant, but she would be surprised if she didn't. The knock came again, and this time it was Nicole and Apollo who disappeared.

"You and me now Astoria." Chloe smiled. Astoria smiled back.

"Chloe, I just wanted to say thank you. If you hadn't done what you'd done, I don't know if I would have ever gotten here." Chloe started shaking her head halfway through Astoria's impromptu speech, and as soon as Astoria finished she started.

"That's nonsense. Astoria, you and Draco were always going to get married. Perhaps I sped up the process. Perhaps I made it easier for you two to find your way back to each other. But no matter what, Draco was always going to fight to get to you, and you were always going to fight to get to him. Now, stop thanking me before you make yourself cry. What are best friends for?" Astoria smiled, and then threw her arms around Chloe.

"Chloe, dans une vie c'est rare de trouver une amie comme toi. Merci, parce que tu es vraiment la plus bonne amie qu'on fille peut trouver."

"Astoria, si je suis la pour toi, tu es la mienne. En école nous avons dit que nous étions amies toujours. Il faut que nous gardions cet promis." It was the one time Astoria wasn't so anxious for the knock on the door. Blaise had done a good job occupying the room silently, and Astoria knew he had to be just as nervous for his friend as Chloe was for her. It made her smile a bit to see the two of them walk out together.

Astoria did not, like some of her friends, have a moment of doubt. She was anxious as the music continued to play. Waiting alone for the knock on the door, Astoria felt like she waited an entire lifetime. She went over everything in her head, every detail of what was to come. She fidgeted, she resisted the urge to mess with her hair, and she waited some more. Finally, after a downright painful amount of time, the knock came. Astoria almost tripped racing to the door.

Suddenly, she was angry that she'd wanted a longer walkway. Originally, she was going to walk out and be at the aisle. Instead, she had to round a corner. On she went, walking in steady even steps to the tune of the music. On the outside, she was smiling so hard she almost looked too happy. On the inside, she felt as though she was being tortured.

The turn came and she almost froze. In that moment any anxiety all seemed to rear up inside her, and then it vanished just as quickly. She turned the corner with her eyes down, the last traces of any of her fears, and then she looked up.

Her eyes took in the details first. Choosing the stone seats had been a great decision. Cushioning charms made them all feel as soft as pillows, but the aesthetic was charming. The castle was behind her, providing a perfect backdrop as everyone looked towards her. The sort of altar at the front where everyone stood was peppered with the same charming blue and white flowers that made up her bouquet, making it look like it had sprung from the ground, the only influence of Daphne's that Astoria had allowed in the wedding. Then, her eyes found him and it all became irrelevant. She barely even noticed as, true to everyone's thoughts, her chinks settled on a light pink.

She walked towards him to the beat of the music, not because she was conscious of it, but because her body had gone onto autopilot. She registered somewhere in the back of her mind that her mother was already crying, but it slipped from her mind just as quickly. Every thought in her mind was fleeting, leaving space for only him. If Astoria had ever doubted that Draco loved her, those doubts would have died in that moment. Love seemed to be pouring out of his body, it almost felt tangible. She registered that she'd seen the same expressions on other faces, but she'd never felt them before. The love he was sending towards her she could feel, and she knew that she would never forget that moment.

When she finally made it to the end of the path, Astoria had to resist reaching out to him. She knew that she could, and nobody would blame her. She had to commend the restraint of the women behind her. Fighting the urge to just kiss and be proclaimed married was difficult.

"We have assembled today for the purpose of" Astoria was not listening to what the old wizard was saying. She had heard enough wedding ceremonies to be able to ignore her own, she thought. Instead, she studied Draco's face. She had memorized it, but she still loved to look at it. He really was a beautiful man, she decided.

The wizard asked her to repeat some things, which she did. There was a presentation of rings the traditional way, a wave of the wand had them carrying themselves quickly to the front on a pillow.

"Here they are then." She supposed the man was trying to make a joke, so she laughed a bit, but her focus was on Draco. It was on him when he slid a ring onto her finger, and it was on him when she slid one onto his. In that moment of sentience everything felt so much clearer. Draco's hands on hers felt more real than anything. Looking into his eyes, she felt almost consumed in the most pleasant of ways. She felt like she had been waiting for that moment since she'd woken up that morning. It felt like forever before they broke eye contact to look back at the ministry official, even though she knew it couldn't have been more than a second or two.

The old man looked out past them, towards everyone else, as he pulled out his wand. He lifted it high and pointed it to the sky. Then he brought it down swiftly, looking out to their audience.

"Is there someone amongst us who would confess why these two should not be married?" As was custom a small vial of veritaserum was presented by the best man. To lighten the moment, Blaise winked as he brought it out, shaking it temptingly. A few people laughed a bit, but Astoria simply held her breath and waited. After a pregnant pause, the old wizard raised his arm again.

"Then I declare you bonded for life!" He proclaimed. Astoria and Draco quickly grasped their ring hands together, making eye contact once more. The official swung his wand down swiftly, showering their joined hands with stars.

As soon as the stars had settled, Draco gently grabbed Astoria's shoulders. He leaned down and she stood on her toes and they met in the middle. It was a short kiss, certainly less satisfying than either of them wanted, but it was also perfect. So far, everything about the wedding had been perfect. Then came the very last part. Draco had been in charge of this bit, stating that he wanted it to be perfect. He hadn't let anyone practice it around her, and he'd actually made her leave during the rehearsal before it happened. She had no idea what to expect.

Draco reached for Astoria's hands, grasping them firmly in his own. One by one, each respective duo raised their wands and began to shower the couple with sparks. However, instead of the traditional red sparks, theirs were a vivid emerald green. They sparked as they fell, draping Draco and Astoria behind a wall of vivid, dancing color. As they fell, he leaned down and kissed her again, a much more intimate kiss, although it wasn't so intimate as to cause a commotion amongst their wedding guests.

He pulled back after a moment, and on cue everyone lowered their arms in synch. Then, he slid an arm through hers and the two of them made their way back through the aisle. This time, Astoria saw every guest. She saw her aunts and some of her cousins. Her father had an arm around her mother's shoulder, and was pulling her in for a hug. Mrs. Greengrass was crying, but they weren't the sobs Astoria would have expected. She was smiling, looking almost happier than Astoria herself. Her expression was rivaled only by that of Narcissa Malfoy, who looked happier and more pleased than Astoria had seen her before. Even Lucius Malfoy was smiling, a sight so rare Astoria almost wished she could take a picture.

As she walked she saw the families of all of her closest friends, their parents smiling their congrats at her as she passed. She saw Viktor Krum sitting with a few of his teammates. She saw old classmates of hers, most of whom she hadn't seen since Chloe's wedding. She saw many of Daphne's friends, and was shocked and a bit touched that they had chosen to sit on her side.

On Draco's side it was mostly unfamiliar faces. She recognized a good number of the people he worked with, as she had met them on occasion. She recognized Jasper from Draco's many vivid descriptions of him, and the director of the orphanage from pictures. She remembered seeing the witch with them as well and assumed she must have been Eloise Jardine, and she smiled at the fact that they had brought some of the older orphans with along.

She supposed a lot of the other people must have been Draco's schoolmates, and she was surprised to see that they came. She was even more surprised to see Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, although the redhead with them was a girl she didn't recognize. She assumed the girl must have been a Weasley though. Near them was a happy looking man with a round face and blonde hair, next to a girl with hair so blonde it was almost white, wearing what appeared to be radish earrings. Several of the pureblood families that had come had chosen to sit on Draco's side, or had been seated there by default. She saw them all as she walked, all eyes on her. Without Draco next to her, it wouldn't have been a very pleasant prospect. However, with him there she couldn't find it in her to mind.

Once they entered the castle again, Astoria knew it would be more waiting. The wedding party always entered the reception last, with the bride and groom coming last of all. Astoria didn't mind too much, she thought it gave her more time to spend with Draco. Everyone else seemed to sense this, or at least remember from their own weddings, because they cleared out fairly quickly. Astoria turned to say something to Draco, but before she could her face was in his hands and they were kissing again, and this was anything but delicate.

They stayed that way until Astoria forgot how to breathe, and then just a bit longer. She was suddenly happy for the large amount of guests that were probably slowly making their way to the reception. Anything that would give her more time to be like this was appreciated. When they broke apart, she took a quick breath and kissed him once, twice more. Light kisses. Then she leaned back and smiled.

"You're not a Greengrass anymore." Draco looked entirely too pleased with himself, but she was sure she probably looked the same.

"I'm a Malfoy now," she agreed. He looked even happier at that, and then they were back at it. Astoria thought she could kiss him for the rest of her life, at least, just like that. However, a polite cough broke them apart.

"Your guests are ready for you." The same witch as before said, with a smile. Astoria was sure the witch probably saw countless couples in the exact same state of joy. Draco and Astoria followed her as one, going through the twists and turns of the castle and arriving behind a curtain. Astoria was suddenly very glad for all of the sticking charms she'd endured, making sure that nothing would fall out of place. On her wrist, Catherine's bracelet blinked its blue eyes at her, before making another lap through the rings of her bracelet.

"And now, the couple themselves." Astoria heard a voice announce. Draco slid an arm around her as they walked in, holding her closer to him. The crowd began their polite clapping, making Astoria smile a little more. Together, the two made their way to the front table. The clapping didn't die down until they'd both seated themselves.

Astoria had spent so much time organizing everything in the room. The tables looked beautiful, and she was glad she'd gone with the flowers in the center. Guests were invited to take one of the pebbles in the vase home as a favor, as each was the exact sort of useless trinket and keepsake handed out at every wedding. The colors had come together elegantly in the large space.

Astoria went through most of the dinner completely absorbed in Draco. They were in their own little world. However, once everyone was finished eating and before the toasts and cake, she knew she'd have to take congratulations. Sure enough, she and Draco stood in front of the table as many people, some she didn't even know, wished her congratulations. She smiled and nodded at each of them. At different points in time either she or Draco would get caught up for a bit in conversations with an old friend or acquaintance. Astoria noticed people congratulating her parents and Draco's as well, which made her happy for entirely different reasons.

At one point, Viktor Krum came up with Chloe to congratulate them. He delivered much the same vague threat that Draco had issued at his and Chloe's wedding, although Astoria personally thought his size leant his threat much more credence. Ulysses Bulstrode came to wish them well to, as did all of her friends' parents. Each of these warranted longer conversations than the standard greeting, as Draco was introduced to the people who'd raised the most important women in Astoria's life. Astoria was touched to see that Catherine's friends had come to her wedding as well, and their Congratulations warmed her heart.

When Astoria saw Hermione Granger and Harry Potter making their way up, she casually slid her arm around Draco's back. He reciprocated before realizing why she'd done it, but to his credit not even the sight of them made him stop smiling. If anything, Astoria thought he looked smugger as they arrived.

"Hello Potter, Granger, Weasley." Draco nodded. Astoria smiled at them.

"Congratulations." Harry Potter looked genuinely happy for them, which Astoria knew would only serve to irk Draco. She smiled at him.

"Thank you, all of you, for coming. I don't believe we've met?" She extended a hand to the Weasley girl and was surprised when the girl smiled and took it back. She clearly, Astoria thought, was nothing like her brother.

"Ginny Weasley. Thank you for inviting us, it's been a beautiful wedding. Rather inspiring, to be honest." Astoria didn't miss the way Ginny glanced sideways at Harry, and that thought made her smile.

"It really was beautiful." Astoria thought it was a shame that Draco and these people were not friends. She understood why, of course, but she thought that under different circumstances she perhaps could have been friends with Hermione Granger. She smiled, and accepted a hug from the woman, and then the three of them were off.

Then, it was back to the humdrum of more people, some trying to curry favor, some brownnosing, and some people who were just plain nosy. Astoria didn't really mind. Nothing, she thought, could ruin the evening for her. Finally, it was time to bring out the cake. Everyone in the room settled back into their seats, and the bridesmaids and groomsmen made their way back to the front.

Astoria and Draco were handed a knife. Astoria grasped it first, and then she felt Draco's hand close over her own. Then, Draco waved his wand and the cake came floating out, table and all. It was bigger and better than Astoria had imagined it to be. The green layers were vivid and stunning. The layers trimmed with powder blue had intricate patterns that looked too complex to have been crafted by hand, even with the aid of magic. The wand protruded from the top, and the silver snake lay coiled around the bottom.

As Draco and Astoria cut into the cake, the snake 'woke up' and began to curl his way around the layers of the cake. Astoria thought it was a fine display of craftsmanship that as he moved, he didn't so much as smudge the frosting. The snake made it all the way to the top as the guests ooh'd and aah'd, and then he gently plucked the wand from the top. Immediately it began to shoot silver sparks into the air, which exploded into small blue and green fireworks as they reached the top. It was over the top and ridiculous, and Astoria loved it. When it finished, the snake assumed the position from the drawing, head rested on the side and wand hanging down, and became again just a piece of cake. Immediately the guests clapped, but Astoria was preoccupied with gently taking the top layer off of the cake.

She exchanged a knowing look with Draco, and then she went for it. Reaching for a handful of cake, she mashed it into his face just as she felt him do the same to her. Then, they were both laughing, everyone soon joining in with them. Astoria ate as much cake as she could off of her face, and then she felt Draco lean down to kiss her, spreading the mess from his own face back onto hers. She didn't really mind.

When they sat back down, a quick 'scourgify' cleaned them up and Astoria set about actually eating her cake. Draco had the snake brought to him, and after tapping it to make sure it wouldn't move, he ate his fill of chocolate molten cake. Once everyone who wanted some had gotten their part of the wedding cake, Chloe stood up. She waved her wand, releasing sparks into the air to get everyone's attention. Once the room quieted down, she raised her glass.

"I wanted to give this toast in French, but most of the people here speak English so my hands are tied." She shrugged with a smile, and then turned to be partially facing Astoria.

"Astoria is undoubtedly one of the best friends I have ever had. I love her. When you spend as much time with someone as I did with Astoria, you learn a lot about them. I probably know more about her than I know about myself. I know what she likes and doesn't like, what she may be insecure about, and I witnessed first hand many of the events that have brought her to where she is today. I also know Draco, although not as well. I do not know all of these things about him like I know about Astoria. I do not know what makes him laugh or what makes him cry, I have not held his hand or hugged him when exams got difficult and when he just needed a good cry, like I have for Astoria. But because I know Astoria, I know her better I think than almost anyone else, I know that Draco is good for her. The two of them, they are not perfect. But with Draco, Astoria is stronger. With him, she is braver, and more full of life, and altogether happier. That is something anyone can see." Chloe paused, and turned to face Astoria fully. She felt her cheeks once again grow warm.

"Astoria, we used to dream of who we would marry when we were in school, even just to pass the time. Now, we are both married. We have gone through so many things together, and I think we have proved time and time again that we are the type of friends that would do anything for each other. I can honestly say that marrying Draco might not be the greatest thing you have ever done, but it is the one of the best things I could wish on you. Donc, attend maintenant ta vie charmante dans les bras d'un amour vrai. To Astoria and Draco!" Chloe raised her goblet, and then took a long sip. Everyone else followed suit, but Astoria stood and hugged Chloe. She knew that people might not understand the significance of the last bit, but she did. As eleven year olds, she and Chloe had both been obsessed with the idea of true love. Hearing Chloe say she'd found it brought back every memory of her times spent with Chloe at Beauxbatons. If she could have cried, she would have. Instead, Astoria felt happy to the point that it ached.

When Chloe and Astoria finally sat down, Blaise stood up. Although Astoria had spent time with him, he was still a bit of a mystery to her. What she knew about him was that he was friends with her husband, he was very handsome and very funny, and his mother may or may not have killed several of her past husbands. So, she was just as curious to hear what he had to say. Her curiosity only increased when, as he stood, Draco leaned and whispered

"Promise you won't love me any less. We're already married." With a wink at Draco, Blaise cleared his throat and began.

"I will also be speaking in English." He nodded to Chloe, who smiled back at him and rolled her eyes.

"When I met Draco, he was a bit of a prat, but then so was I, so we got along swimmingly. We did not, in fact, dream about weddings or true love or perfect women or men for that matter. We dreamt of all of the things we thought we were going to accomplish. Draco Malfoy has always been charming. He has also always been attracted to symbols, or status and power and wealth. It's how we were all raised to be honest, and as he has two foreign ambassadors attending hi wedding I don't think these pursuits have led him astray in life. I must admit, however, that when he told me he was going to marry Astoria Greengrass, this is over a year ago mind you, I didn't quite believe him. I'm not going to wax poetic about how he has demonstrated his incredible maturity and his growth into the man you see before you now, except to say that it happened. That is undeniable. But I think, what made that apparent to me, was how he treated Astoria." At that he nodded at Astoria, who smiled back at him.

"It takes seeing them together exactly once to know that they love each other very deeply. It takes knowing Draco intimately, which I suppose I do, to understand how that has changed him. He was a lot of things before he met Astoria, and if I'm being honest, none of those things was anything to brag about. Most importantly though, he wasn't even happy before her. Now, I don't think I've seen him stop smiling since we all got up this morning." Taking Chloe's lead, Blaise turned to address the last part of his toast directly to Draco.

"In my opinion, the rest is in your hands. Which means, of course, that it's in very good hands. I can't see you ever letting go of Astoria. Chloe spoke about how you're good for her, but I know I don't need to remind you all of the ways that she's great for you. I don't think I need to say much more than that. Don't mess it up." With that Blaise winked and then raised his arm high.

'To Draco and Astoria!" Once again the room chorused and drank. Draco surprised Astoria by leaning down once more to kiss her.

"He's right, you know." He whispered.

"You're quite honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me." With that, Astoria was officially ready for the wedding to be over.

Of course, once things died down it was time for pictures. The two of them had chosen to do pictures at the end so that they knew they could leave afterwards. Everyone in the wedding party was lined up, while Astoria's mother scrutinized their appearances. She fixed some things, and then hugged Astoria and smiled. Astoria took pictures with everyone in her bridal party, her mother, each bridesmaid individually, her mother and her father, her mother, father, and Apollo, her father, Apollo, the entire bridal party, and then one with just the groomsmen. Then, finally, it was time for her to take her pictures with Draco.

They took pictures everywhere. They took pictures under their wedding arch that were sure to be beautiful. They took pictures at the high table. They took posed pictures, and pictures that were quickly captured in in-between moments. The photographer had been taking pictures throughout the wedding and the reception as well. Then, finally, Draco and Astoria were able to slip away.

Astoria had expected that arriving at Malfoy Manor would take some getting used to. She had expected to feel like she was visiting until at least a month after they'd gotten back from the honeymoon. She was wrong. Apparating directly into their wing felt like apparating home. The front hall, as with much of the wing, was currently under renovation. Astoria had redesigned a lot of things, and with Draco's approval they had signed off on everything.

Her musings on the wing were cut short when Draco swept her up, dress and all.

"Close your eyes" he ordered. Astoria did, resisting the urge to look around. She felt him carrying her down the hallway, and then jostle her a bit to open a door. Then, she was airborne landing on something soft with a thump.

"You can open your eyes now." Astoria expected the dark gray wallpaper and dark furniture she had always seen. Instead, she took in the sight of the exact bedroom she'd designed. She hopped off the bed and wrenched open the closet to see her things and Draco's things neatly hung on wood that matched their new furniture. The bathroom stayed the same, and the other closet had been stripped and turned into a basic room with white walls and soft carpet flooring, awaiting her nursery creations. After her explorations, she turned back to Draco.

"You did this?" She asked. Somehow, even with everything else, he'd found a way to give her a perfect gift.

"I wanted our first night in our home to be perfect." He shrugged, but Astoria knew he was proud of himself. He deserved to be, she thought. It was incredibly sweet, and exactly what she needed.

"I know how we can make it perfect." For once Astoria was exactly as coy as she wanted to be. As the night went on, she was given multiple chances to appreciate the sturdy and comfortable bed choice that she and Draco had made.

Later, lights off and all tucked in, Draco and Astoria lay side by side. Astoria turned to face her husband, but he was already almost asleep. He smiled at her lazily, looking just as content as she knew she probably looked. She didn't know if she had felt that happy ever before. As he fell asleep, Draco reached a heavy arm around her and pulled Astoria closer.

"Goodnight" he mumbled, as she rested her head on his chest. She could barely see him in the dark, but she could feel his movements as he leaned over to kiss her head.

"I'm not heavy am I?" He asked, long after she thought he'd already gone to sleep. Draco was a lot bigger than her, but the pressure of his arm felt nice.

"You're perfect" Astoria answered, surprised to hear how tired she sounded.

"Tell me if I'm crushing you" He yawned through his speech, and she merely smiled into his chest. Astoria Malfoy was not Delicate.


	27. Epilogue

**A/N: First thing's first, the next thing I write will be Percy's Girls, so you can all look forward to that. Now, onto more important matters: This Epilogue ties in to a plot I've had in my head for ages. This is not quite canon. If you really cannot stand things that are not canon, I suggest you do not read it. If you ask me to, I will gladly email you a canon version of this Epilogue. Or, if you message me, I would also tell you **_**how**_** I broke canon and you can decide if you want to read it. I only say this because I would hate for someone to be disappointed with me or the story because of how I break canon. For the sake of the story, I would gladly give someone a nice, canon Epilogue. Because this has a sequel of sorts however, I want everything I upload to have continuity, which means breaking canon. Now that I've terrified all of you, please do enjoy! I had fun writing this.  
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I really suggest you read the author's note.

Astoria Malfoy was one of those women that always wanted to have children. At work, she was often called on to handle younger patients because she liked working with them so much. She would always send them off with a smile, or keep a seriously injured child company as they recovered. She loved to play with children she knew, and she constantly stopped to smile and wave at other people's children in public.

Draco Malfoy did not particularly care either way. He wanted to have a child with Astoria, of course, a boy. He just was not particularly concerned with when. Other people's children, to him, were mostly so

mething to be dealt with. Of course, working in an orphanage had given him an appreciation for children and teens. It also made him realize that most of the children he met in his everyday life were brats just like he was which did not particularly endear him to them.

Despite Astoria's eagerness and Draco's indifference towards most children, both of them had been hesitant to attempt to have children right off the bat. It seemed as though every time they brought the subject up, it was always the wrong time. First Astoria didn't want to take so much time off so early into her career, and then Draco didn't want to have a child while there was a chance he would be constantly in and out of the country. As weeks turned into months, the topic was shelved.

After all, it wasn't as though the couple didn't have other things going on. Draco got promoted, and was getting closer and closer to working directly with the Ambassador, a position that would allow him to potentially become an ambassador one day. Both of them agreed that trying to have a baby too soon would add chaos to their lives, and that they had all the time in the world. For over a year, the couple rarely talked about babies, and never talked about their plans to have one of their own. Then one evening, Astoria got a letter.

"Draco!" Normally, after dinner the two of them would relax in Draco's office. It was a nice room, with a couch that Astoria could curl up on as Draco did whatever he did. She suspected that rather than actually working, he used the room to make himself feel important.

That evening, Astoria got the letter as she was taking a long bath. She'd spilled a potion on herself that, while harmless, made her smell like rotting flowers.

"Draco!" She was in shock. She knew that the logical thing would be to go to get him, but she just kept re-reading the words.

"What's wrong?" Astoria looked up at Draco, who looked like he had just been running.

"It's Chloe. Chloe and Krum. They're, they've, they're going to." Astoria took a deep breath.

"The Krums are having a baby."

The discovery that Chloe was pregnant startled Astoria. Although Catherine had already had a son, a beautiful boy named Dietz, Astoria felt like she didn't know anyone her age that'd had a baby. Catherine and Engel were the most adult couple she knew, and Engel worked with children for a living. Chloe being pregnant felt more personal. The idea of having a child seemed ages away still, she certainly felt like she had plenty of time. She knew that she was not competing with Chloe to have a child. But that didn't matter. Chloe was having a baby, so all Astoria could think about was babies.

She saw them everywhere. Of course, she regularly saw a fair number of young children. But, she was sure that she was seeing more than normal. Suddenly babies were all Astoria dreamed about. In her dreams a round-faced little boy who looked just like his dad smiled up at her and reached for her seemingly every night for two straight weeks.

Still, when Draco brought up the subject, Astoria shied away from it. She shied away from it when Chloe began to show and sent Astoria her pictures. She shied away from it when Chloe asked if there was any possible way she could come up for the birth. Astoria didn't know why she was avoiding the subject, she just was. Perhaps, she thought, it was just rude to speak about having their own child when Chloe was about to have hers.

Astoria didn't know how she managed to get her head of department to give her a full two weeks in Bulgaria, but the second week of November Draco and Astoria flooed to stay with the Krums. Nicole had also gotten away, so the four friends were reunited. It had the added bonus of letting them all be in on a piece of Anya's wedding. Anya turned twenty-four in December, and was planning on having her wedding in January. While Astoria and Nicole were there, Anya was going to try to find all of her dresses, and pick their brains about decisions she'd already made and ones she was struggling to make.

The Krum home was beautiful, much less ostentatious than Astoria would have expected from a 'Quidditch Star.' It suited Viktor and Chloe perfectly. Chloe was positively glowing when Astoria saw her. She looked like getting pregnant was the best thing that had ever happened to her. While in Bulgaria, Astoria went to dress shop appointments, looked at party favors, and did everything she could to take Chloe's mind of her impending due date.

The morning before Chloe's 'official' due date, Astoria was awoken to Nicole shaking her. They rushed to the room, and after forcing Krum out on behalf of their friend, they took her hands. Astoria summoned parchment and a quill and wrote Anya to come over as quickly as possible, while Nicole summoned the witch who was delivering the baby.

"Is your little boy ready to come out?" the old witch asked when she walked in, as if Chloe wasn't lying in bed moaning and sweating in pain. Astoria, Anya, and Nicole quickly moved out of her way, and she went to Chloe's side.

"I'll give you something for the pain dear, but I'm afraid it won't help much. Not being able to feel anything makes it harder to push, and you wouldn't want to trap him in there if he's ready to come out."

Thus, Astoria, Anya, and Nicole took turns cooking her down with cold blasts of air, while the old witch made her waddle around the room, recline in various positions, and perform simple charms to keep her magic from interfering with her son's.

Finally, the witch smiled and said it was time. Chloe immediately sat on her bed, the three girls moving to prop her up. There was an unspoken agreement between them that they would not look, both for Chloe's privacy and so as not to be scared before they had their own children.

Thus, Anton Krum came into the world at 3.5kg, and immediately began wailing. His eyes were closed and his face was puckered and he was covered in mess, but the second he came out Chloe smiled larger than Astoria had ever seen. She delivered the afterbirth, and then Krum was called in to cut his cord and clean him off. Once he was clean, Astoria was the first of the friends to hold him, and she kissed his head and smiled at him, and she knew it was time.

That night, Astoria no longer shied away from the subject. She climbed into bed with Draco, slid in so he would wrap his arms around her, and said

"I want to have our baby." Draco's response was to pull her even closer and mumble

"Let's talk about this is when we get home."

They did not talk about it when they got home. At first Astoria convinced herself that they were going to bring it up at any time. But she knew the truth. Draco had seemed less than enthusiastic when she'd asked him. She didn't want to confront that situation.

Besides, her life was busy. Although she had taken the time off for Anya's wedding weeks ago, because she'd added the time in Bulgaria she was working overtime almost every day to make up for it. Draco was trying to establish more connections in the office of the French Ambassador to England. Astoria had to have her bridesmaid gown sized, meaning that her free time was taken up. She almost felt it was a miracle that she remembered to drink the stupid preventative potion in the first place.

Anya's wedding was just as beautiful as Astoria had expected. Of course, it was a dramatic affair, more about the families than the two people themselves. Astoria didn't know much about Anya's husband, but she knew that he seemed genuinely happy to be marrying Anya, which was all Astoria could really want. Despite the fact that Astoria spent more time with baby Anton at the wedding than she'd spent with most present adults, she did not bring up babies again. Neither did Draco.

When they arrived, the two of them kept up their routine until one day Astoria woke up and realized it was Valentine's Day.

"Astoria, would you like to go to dinner tonight?" In past years, Draco had showed up at her work with ridiculous gifts that Astoria pretended to be embarrassed about. Having him ask her what she wanted felt strange. She couldn't decide if it was more or less romantic.

"What did you have in mind?" Draco smiled, and it seemed that was his expected answer. She never knew how he always managed to predict how she'd react to things.

"Don't worry about it. I'll probably be home after you, so you can just get ready when you get home." He kissed her and left, and it took a beat before she realized she ought to do the same.

All day Astoria wondered about what Draco was planning. She had long since mastered the ability to work while her mind was somewhere else, so it wasn't until she got back to the manor that she was distracted. She got ready slowly, not surprised when Draco didn't arrive home until half past six. He was already dressed, in dress robes that made her wonder if an evening gown would have been better than the cocktail dress she wore. He insisted that she looked perfect, but to him she always looked perfect.

The restraint was beautiful, a place Astoria had never seen before. It boasted rare delicacies from around the world, and although Astoria wasn't rearing to try a real dragon steak she appreciated the unique atmosphere. The place was an adventure.

"Love, can I ask you something?" Astoria hadn't noticed when Draco had grabbed her hand. Looking up, she resisted the urge to squint at him. He never called her love, except when he was nervous.

"Yes?" Astoria hadn't meant for it to come out a question, but there it was.

"Why did you never bring up having a baby?" That was not the question Astoria had expected.

"Why didn't you?" She challenged, but when Draco frowned at her she kept speaking.

"You just seemed, disinterested. When I asked. I thought I would just drop it until later. I don't want to push. I just, want to have your child."

"That is literally the best thing you have said to me, except possibly wanting to marry me. I didn't know I sounded disinterested. I was waiting for you to bring it up when we got home, and you never did."

"What are you saying?" Astoria didn't want to get her hopes up for nothing. She needn't have worried.

"I'm saying, I've only been waiting since we got married for the right time to, well, I want a son. Or daughter. A child. With you. Our child." Draco seemed a bit flustered, and normally Astoria would take pity on him, but she realized they had just wasted literal months of time.

"Now I'm thinking it's a shame we came out Draco." Astoria whispered, leaning into him across the table.

"If we were at home, we could already start practicing."

Astoria had never even known that restaurants would package meals to go.

That night, Astoria had the extreme pleasure of dumping all of the preventative potion in the house down the drain. She dreamt again of her chubby baby boy, reaching his arms up to her with a smile. She felt like she could literally feel the baby in her womb, despite the fact that she knew it would take the rest of the week really before the potion stopped kicking in.

It was really rather unfortunate, then, that Astoria Malfoy did not take to pregnancy at all.

**~ May ~**

Astoria never missed a period. Ever. Since she'd started getting them. So when late May came, she took a potion for the pain like every other month, and waited. Yet, nothing happened. At first, she thought that maybe she had figured wrong. Then she thought that baby stress might have delayed her period. She knew that a lot of couples had to try for a long time before they could have a baby. She didn't want to assume that she was pregnant so soon. But, when a full week had passed, with June right around the corner, she knew it was time to see someone.

Catherine helped her schedule an appointment with a midwife, an older witch who had delivered many babies. She also helped Astoria get out early so that she could see the midwife without Draco knowing. Thus June 3rd, Astoria welcomed the friendly woman into the manor. It was the first time Astoria wished that her and Draco's home had its own separate entrance. Luckily, she ran into nobody during their walk.

The woman, who introduced herself as Anne, told her to get comfortable on the bed and lay back. She then began to delicately prod at Astoria's stomach, lifting her shirt for an unobstructed assessment.

"Has anything else been off for you, aside from your late cycle?" Astoria had expected to feel awkward having the older woman probe her stomach, but she didn't.

"I've been having headaches." Astoria offered. The woman smiled at this.

"Well, in my opinion I believe you may be pregnant, but we have a way of knowing for sure. Lay back." Astoria bit back a gasp and did what the woman asked.

"Drink this." Normally Astoria would have asked a ton of questions. Instead, she grasped the vial, downing it in one go. It was a strange tasting potion, not entirely unpleasant.

"Good, now, relax." The woman swept her want over Astoria's stomach, back and forth, muttering something Astoria couldn't understand. Without warning, she tapped Astoria very soundly on the stomach. Astoria would have protested except for the woman's wide smile.

"Congratulations dear, you're going to have a baby."

**~ June ~ **

Astoria had needed to tell someone right away. She wasn't even thinking when, after seeing Anne out, she ran until she found Narcissa Malfoy napping. Normally, she would have knocked but she barged right in, waking up the confused older woman.

"Astoria what's"

"I'm pregnant!" She announced. When Narcissa didn't respond she kept speaking.

"I'm, the midwife was just here and she confirmed it. I'm going to have a baby. Draco's baby."

"Does he know?" Narcissa asked. Astoria shook her head.

He didn't find out until his birthday two days later. He insisted that they both went to work, and that all he wanted was to relax at home.

So, she told him over dinner. She didn't do what Nicole had suggested by having a baby-themed dinner. She simply told him that she had a great gift coming for him, but that he or she wouldn't get there for a few more months. When he registered what he meant, well, she would never forget the look on his face. She didn't have to worry about telling people. When he was done telling people, she was sure everyone in England had to know.

At first when everyone had tried to dote on her Astoria had been positively livid. There she was, twenty-four, with her mummy and daddy _and _Draco's parents treating her like a baby. Draco was worse. Her husband, who was normally calm to the point of arrogance, worried about everything. Despite the fact that she was months away from even showing, he treated her like she was made of glass.

Towards the end of June she began to understand the need for the attention. She'd begun barfing at every imaginable moment. She was glad Anya's wedding had already happened, because she cringed when she imagined herself vomiting on the bride. It wasn't just morning sickness. Astoria vomited for the better part of the day, every day. At work she had to excuse herself so often Catherine teased her that she might as well keep a bucket with her at all times. She was removed from potions making for the time being, as her department head worried she would vomit in them and ruin them. It was a sensible fear, she'd already done it twice without him knowing, having to work overtime to make up the losses.

**~ July ~**

On her twenty-fourth birthday, Astoria said all she wanted was not to vomit. Three months in she had not stopped vomiting, and now that she started to show, Draco was very fond of caressing her stomach. She found it both endearing and extremely vexing. They would lie in bed and he would run his hands over the slight bump in wonder.

Still, nobody seemed willing to let her do anything. Narcissa Malfoy was talking about moving in with them to help Astoria when she got bigger, in case she got tired. To Astoria's horror, her own mother wanted the same. With almost no input from Astoria, the two of them picked out rooms close to hers and Draco's and began to prepare to move themselves in. She was determined not to need them.

She also had to take a positively foul potion that was supposed to be good for the baby. She drank a measured amount once in the morning and once at night, choking it down only for her child. Draco would often catch her holding her stomach and, when she thought he wasn't looking, muttering

"This is for you."

**~ August ~**

Four months in Astoria had another appointment with the midwife. Draco insisted on being there for that one, so the two of them went. The woman explained that normally they would check that she was still pregnant, but her rapidly growing stomach confirmed that already. Still, the midwife did some tests. Everything was routine until she did one test with her wand and then gasped. Draco practically accosted her.

"What's wrong?" He asked. His eyes were wide, and Astoria forgot to be worried watching him look so panicked.

"You're having twins." Anne was certainly blunt. Draco sat back, dumbfounded, and Astoria groaned.

"Two babies?" She asked, caressing her stomach once more. The midwife nodded, noting Astoria's upset expression.

"You're having a tough time of it?" Astoria nodded.

"Not going to get much better I'm afraid. Two babies really means you should be drinking twice as much of that potion." Only propriety kept Astoria from holding back a groan. Not only would she have to drink more of the nasty potion, but she would undoubtedly vomit more from it.

"That's all, unless you want me to tell you what you're having?" Astoria shook her head before Draco could say anything.

"I'm done." Astoria said, and Anne smiled.

"You'll be glad to have them once they're out of you." She said, before Draco escorted her out.

Astoria was happy to be alone. Twins did not run in either family, and she couldn't help but be upset that she had to deal with them. She knew they were her children and she would love them, but she didn't really like them in that moment at all. The blows kept coming when she was informed that she was officially too pregnant to handle most potions. All she could do at work was handle consultations with some minor cases. She became the official hand holder and hug giver for scared children. Draco kept encouraging her to take time off, but she refused. Having twins was not going to keep her from working.

**~ September ~**

Five months in Astoria pretended not to notice her husband's fascination with her boobs, which seemed to have doubled in size. Unfortunately they were also extremely sensitive and every time he even tried to feel them he ended up with her wand nearly shoved up his nose.

What she couldn't help but notice was her rapidly growing stomach. It was getting difficult for her to do things, although she wouldn't admit it. Other people took notice as well. Astoria had never realized how strange it was for strangers to affectionately pat a pregnant woman's stomach until she was the pregnant woman. Astoria didn't mind, but Draco certainly did. She was surprised that he didn't try to come to work with her. If any man dared to come within three feet of her, he was liable to hex them.

Finally, her morning sickness seemed to be done. The first morning she got up and didn't immediately vomit she burst into tears, scaring Draco and causing both of them to be late for work.

**~ October ~**

Six months in Astoria was still trying to adjust to the weight she'd put on. Although a fellow Healer had put her on a diet, claiming it would help her feed the twins without stressing out her body, she had still gained twenty-five pounds. She felt fat. She had never weighed as much as she did then, and it was all concentrated in her stomach. It felt like her body had doubled.

The only thing that brought her happiness was that she and Draco had started to decorate the nursery. Preparing for when the babies were no longer in her stomach made carrying them better. Narcissa had brought out Draco's crib, and after some helpful magic there were two of them. She designed the nursery around the old crib. Rather than a blue or pink, she did a bright and happy green wall. Because of the old wooden cribs, Astoria decided on a sort of wooded theme, filling the room with dark wooden furniture. Because she wasn't allowed to do complicated magic, she had Draco charm one of the walls to look like a window where the sun always shone and the moon was always full. In rare instances that she was alone in the room, Astoria rocked in a soft rocking chair her mother had brought. She would put both hands on her stomach and whisper softly to her babies.

**~ November ~**

Seven months in Astoria made Draco swear that he would never get her pregnant again. She threatened to hex off his wand, not the magical one. She threatened to kill him in his sleep. She threatened to burn down the Manor with him in it. She threatened to hand deliver him to Azkaban. Threatening her husband was the theme of the seventh month. Now that she was officially too pregnant to work at all, her life seemed the dullest it had ever been.

The only people Astoria would speak to were her mother and Narcissa Malfoy. In the end she was happy that they had moved in to help her. Astoria knew Draco didn't really deserve her verbal abuse. She was happy to be pregnant underneath it all. But, she was also quite miserable, and giving him a hard time made her feel better.

Several times Draco came home to her sleeping in the nursery, the fake moon of the fake window shining on her. She was always the same, hands on her stomach as if she was trying to hug her babies close. More than once he dug up a camera to take a picture.

**~ December ~**

Eight months in Astoria and Draco got in a rather heated argument about baby names. He insisted that they needed to know the genders to give appropriate names. She insisted that she didn't want to know. It was one of few arguments that Draco refused to stand down on, so midway through December she found herself drinking yet another unpleasant potion as Anne probed her stomach.

"What are we having?" Astoria asked. Despite herself, she was insanely curious. Anne moved her wand around Astoria's stomach. At first, it let out only blue sparks. However, it started shooting pink sparks the higher Anne brought the wand. Blue and pink flashed alternatively, tickling Astoria's stomach. Anne stood back with a smile.

"Seems like one of each." She announced.

Surprisingly, once they knew what they were having, Astoria and Draco were able to come up with their son's name very quickly. Draco had once read a book with the name Scorpius in it, and he confessed that he'd liked the name ever since. Astoria held back a laugh when she first heard it. It seemed even more pretentious than her name or Draco's. But the name Scorpius Malfoy grew on her.

"Scorpius Hyperion." She told her mother later, when asked about his middle name. Her daughter proved much more difficult to name. It got even more complicated when Astoria decided she wanted both names to begin with an S. While Draco was at work, she prowled through old books, looking for a unique name. The nicest name she could find was Selena, but it didn't quite fit. She wanted something more.

It was Draco once again who found it. He came one day and said "Syrinx."

"Syrinx Selena Malfoy." Astoria couldn't help but to like it.

**~ January ~**

January finally came, and Astoria felt like she was going to pop. She loved her children, she knew she did, but she was miserable. Naming them made them feel more like real people rather than like the cause for her misery. It also helped when Chloe, Nicole, and Anya came to the manor. To keep her mind off of things, her friends helped her choose which clothes she wanted to dress them in. They helped her with everyday tasks, and took turns cooing to the babies when Draco wasn't. She cuddled a curious Anton, who had recently celebrated his first birthday, and listened to all of Chloe's tips about dealing with feeding. They surprised her one day by setting up a delivery room, so that she wouldn't have to remember giving birth in her own room every time she went to bed.

Astoria started delivery at night. When she woke up, she thought she'd finally done what she'd feared for months and peed in the bed. Then, the pain hit and she realized what had happened. Panting, she reached for Draco's arm, digging her nails into his flesh. He woke with a start, took in her appearance and said

"I'll get Anne." He did. When Anne got there, she stressed that Astoria needed to move. First, the walk to the delivery room. Then, with her friends supporting her arms, she waddled around the room, pausing to gasp and cry. Every so often, Anne would make her pause and levitate things around the room.

"Astoria." Astoria didn't know who let Draco in. She was aware that in her fourth or fifth month she had told him that she wanted him there. She was wrong.

"Draco leave." She muttered, caught unaware by another contraction. They seemed to be coming more quickly. She knew they would be coming more quickly, but it didn't make it any more pleasant.

"Love, I'm not going to leave." The fact that he was nervous irritated her to the point of anger. She was the one in pain. What was he nervous about?

"Get out!" She yelled, but it turned into one long moan as another contraction hit. It only served to bring him rushing to her side.

"They're coming quickly now." Anne said, as though Astoria didn't know. It felt like she was hit in waves, she barely had time to recover from one before another hit.

"Okay, bring her to the bed, and then leave Master Malfoy." Draco rushed her to the bed, but he made no move to leave the room.

"Draco, you ought to leave now" Chloe tried, but Draco seemed insistent. Astoria was past the point of sentience. She didn't even think to ask for a potion for the pain, she was afraid she was going to pass out.

"Draco, I hate you! I hate you for doing this to me!" She screamed. Draco tried to reason with her,

"Astoria you'll be so happy when they're born" and Anya had to pull Astoria's wand out of reach before Draco ended up hexed.

"Anne, can I have the potion now?" Astoria pleaded. Anne was busy spreading Astoria's legs.

"Drink it slowly." Anne responded. It took all of Astoria's willpower to drink it slowly instead of gulping it down. It lessened the pain only slightly, as too much would prevent her from feeling to push. Instead of feeling on the brink of death, Astoria was able to process her surroundings better. Unfortunately for Draco she processed his presence first.

"Draco, I hate you, get out!" She spit, eyes narrowed. He reached for her and she lost it.

"If you don't leave this room right now I swear to Merlin I will divorce you and run away with these children!" Astoria wasn't sure exactly what she'd screamed, but Draco's eyes grew as big as saucers. He almost tripped over himself in his haste to join his father outside. Then, it was all women.

Astoria was sure it lasted forever, although she didn't know how long her delivery lasted. She knew that at one point Anne told her to push, so push she did. She pushed and pushed and nothing seemed to happen until finally, a cry. She barely had time to process her first baby, as the second seemed to want out right away. Less than five minutes later the next of her babies came out. Then, finally, she delivered the afterbirth and it was over.

Tired, Astoria barely registered what was going on. She was told that their official date of birth was January 28thearly morning. They both weighed in at 3.2 kg, a bit small but not terrible considering that they were twins. They were cleaned, and Draco was called in. He cut the cords, and then a neat charm made the actual cut neatly severing them from their bellybuttons. Astoria's friends cooed over the twins, helping Anne complete the task at hand while Draco settled in next to his wife, wrapping himself around her so they both sat upright. Everyone left slowly, giving Astoria their well wishes. Anne was last to leave, handing Astoria both of her twins. She told Astoria to write her the next day if either or both of the twins seemed to be having trouble latching on, and then she moved to leave. Before Anne had fully left Astoria absentmindedly asked

"Who was first?"

"Your boy came out first. He was probably checking to see if this outside world was a safe place for his little sister." The thought made Astoria smile and lean back against Draco, who wrapped his arms around all of them.

"You can sleep if you need to Astoria." Draco smiled, nuzzling his face into her hair. He laughed when he realized that Astoria wasn't listening to him. She was looking down at the tiny ones in her arms.

Astoria stared at them in wonder, her two little babies both naked and curled up against her. Scorpius was wriggly, his gray eyes trying to take everything in. Syrinx was calmer, her eyes closed as she napped. Finally, she had both of her babies in her arms. As she looked at them, she felt good for the first time in nine months.

Astoria Malfoy took instantly to being a mother.


End file.
